Horner hopes tyre changes will resolve safety issues

Throughout the season Horner has been one of Pirelli’s most outspoken critics, backed up by drivers Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber.

Even owner Dietrich Mateschitz waded into the debate last week after the Spanish Grand Prix, during which there were 79 pit stops, claiming the sport was now more about tyre management than pure racing.

To add to the furore, there have been several incidents this season, affecting the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Paul Di Resta, in which tyres have rapidly delaminated after collecting a cut.

It is on that basis Pirelli are to make structural changes to their tyres, which in turn should also reduce the number of pit stops, which will be available from next month’s Canadian GP onwards. In light of Pirelli’s  announcement, which could aid Red Bull’s title bid, Horner said: “We’ve been pretty consistent throughout the year in saying the tyres, on occasion, have been a bit too marginal. That includes the races we won in Malaysia and Bahrain, so it’s good Pirelli are looking at it.

“The most important and most fundamental issue is from a safety perspective. If you do have a delamination, if you have a big chunk of rubber, you don’t want that to hit a car component or, worst case, a driver. So there are safety issues I know some of the drivers are concerned about. Pirelli is a very capable company, and I think they know what they need to do. Hopefully that can be resolved very quickly.”

Ahead of this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, Horner could not resist another dig at Pirelli over what they have done to the state of racing these days.

“The way things are at the moment it is too complicated for the fans,” added Horner. “It’s too difficult to follow races where you’ve four stops going on. It’s hard enough when you’re in the race. I think we need to just wind that back a little bit and, more than anything, make sure we eliminate any safety issues.”