Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner says the reduced wind tunnel time imposed by the cost cap violation has helped boost motivation within the team. Last October, the FIA found Red Bull Racing guilty of exceeding the $145 million cost cap set for the 2021 season by £400,000.
Red Bull Racing, being constructors’ champions, would have inherited the fewest wind tunnel and CFD test times of any team on the grid, but the team’s top management will reduce aerodynamic test times by an additional 10%. accepted the breach agreement. As a result, Red Bull has only been given 63% wind tunnel time this year, while Aston Martin, currently second in the constructors’ standings, has 100% wind tunnel time. Christian Horner admits the restrictions have forced Red Bull to allocate resources more productively, but said it has increased its desire to stay at the top of F1. Asked regarding the impact of the penalty on the team’s staff, Christian Horner told Autosport: “I think it kept everyone focused and efficient.” “What we lost in the wind tunnel, we gained in motivation.” With 17 wins from 22 races in 2022 and two championship titles, Red Bull are good enough to repeat their dominance in 2023 following two opening races. appear to be in position. Red Bull answered the call of pre-season favorites with a 1-2 finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix. As an indicator of Red Bull’s dominance, winner Max Verstappen was 36 seconds ahead of Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin, the closest non-Red Bull car. The reduced wind tunnel testing time doesn’t yet seem to destabilize the Red Bull camp on track, but Horner believes it might have long-term implications. “We have 12 months to think regarding it because it’s not only regarding this year’s car, but also next year’s car,” said Horner. “The really positive thing for us is that we are not addressing underlying issues that waste resources and time,” he said. The team did a great job to make that happen.” “We still have eight, nine months to go. How do we develop this car, and of course next year’s car? , it has to be very selective and extremely efficient.” Last season, the technical directives were issued ahead of the second half of the season and the balance of power tilted in favor of Red Bull. However, Horner warned that it might be a difficult situation for Red Bull to negotiate if the 2024 regulations might change. “Whether the regulations change or not really depends on the time,” explains Horner. “I’m hoping for stable regulations, but of course it’s a disadvantage and a handicap to have an additional 10% difference, not just the difference you get from being first in the championship.” 15% less time than Ferrari and 20% less time than Mercedes, which is an important number, so for us what to apply in the wind tunnel, what to choose, and the RB19 and RB20. How we develop both cars, it’s important to be efficient and effective.”
