Horner sticks up for new teams

Although he can understand the concerns over the quality of the new teams, Red Bull boss Christian Horner says it's good to see fresh blood on the grid.

Felipe Massa remarked earlier this week that the new teams could be a danger and fears "everyone" could suffer. Red Bull's Mark Webber and former driver David Coulthard have also expressed their concerns over the quality of the debutants.

Horner, though, is more than happy to see some new names in Formula One.

"The FIA have been keen to bring in new teams following the demise of Honda, BMW and Toyota, so it's good to see new independents coming into Formula One," said Horner.

"It's great to see the Lotus name back in Formula One, and those guys appear to be doing the job properly. The Virgin team have had some issues in testing, but they've been physically running.

"As for Hispania, it would have been implausible a couple of years ago to think a team could turn up at the first grand prix without having turned a wheel, which is going to be a massive challenge for all involved."

Asked if the likes of Hispania were a danger, Horner replied: "It's not ideal.

"Our focus generally is not on that part of the grid. It will be on the Ferraris and McLarens. Hopefully it's not going to cause too many issues on what will be a very busy track.

"The worst thing for Formula One would be if one of those teams disappeared halfway through the year. Hopefully they've all sufficient finance to be able to complete the season, and grow from there."


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