Horner says FIA wrong on engine performance parity

Last year, F1's manufacturers and the FIA agreed to work towards engine parity with the leading three engines all within a 0.3 second bracket based on a theoretical lap of the Barcelona circuit.

Followed detailed analysis, using "a very detailed methodology for simulating this based on all the data", the FIA believes this has been achieved.

But Horner, whose Renault-powered Red Bull team was 1.711s off the pace of pole-sitter Sebastian Vettel in Russia, questioned the FIA's formula.

"The problem is the methodology behind that," Horner told Motorsport.com. "Any lap that's half a second quicker gets discounted. It's a very convenient formula.

"Realistically you've only got to look at the spreads here to see that's not the case.

"It's quite clear that the FIA don't really want to get involved in it, so the numbers fit accordingly."

Red Bull's Max Verstappen agreed with his team boss and said the gap was bigger than 0.3s.

"I heard how they did the calculation so if you cancel out all the fast laps with good power, the full power modes - you can't calculate like that," he said.

"At the end of the day, as a team, we know where we have to improve and that's both chassis and engine. It's definitely more than [three tenths] I can tell you."

His teammate Daniel Ricciardo added: "Looking at the gap it's definitely more than 0.3s, I'd put money on that."

Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz said on Friday that he "nearly laughed" when he read the FIA's verdict and comments from Force India's Sergio Perez, who said Ferrari and Renault had caught up with Mercedes in terms of power.