Red Bull urge FIA to act after fierce Max Verstappen duels

Christian Horner has called on the FIA to reduce the amount of regulation governing how drivers can fight in F1.

The Red Bull team principal believes the racing is "becoming quite unnatural" and in need of a "reset" following Max Verstappen being involved in a pair of contentious incidents with both McLaren drivers in recent weeks.

At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Dutchman was handed a five-second time penalty from the stewards after he was judged to have gone off-track and gained a lasting advantage when battling against Oscar Piastri.

Two weeks later in Miami, officials declined to investigate his first lap clash with Lando Norris. However, if it had been investigated, Verstappen would have been the one at risk of punishment for forcing Norris off at Turn 2 on the opening lap. 

Later on during the grand prix at the Miami International Autodrome, the four-time F1 drivers' champion put up ultimately futile but nonetheless spirited defences against the papaya team-mates en route to fourth.

With the driving guidelines having changed over the winter, in large part due to Verstappen's on-track conduct, Horner was asked whether it helped eliminate the grey areas in wheel-to-wheel combat.

"I don't know," the 51-year-old told media, including RacingNews365. "I think that it doesn't feel like natural racing anymore.

"It feels like maybe we're becoming over-regulated in the wheel-to-wheel racing, because they're racing to different lines.

"And I'm not sure whether we just need to... It's becoming quite unnatural. So I don't know whether we just need a little bit of a reset.

"It'd be good if, perhaps, the drivers were to discuss that in the next race, because it just feels like when you introduce too many regulations, you end up driving to the regs, and it becomes a little unnatural."