25/07/2023
NEWS STORY
As the cost cap penalty finally begins to bite, Christian Horner confirms that Red Bull is to switch its focus to its 2024 contender.
Along with the $7m fine for breaching the 2021 regulations the Austrian team was given a 10% reduction in windtunnel time. However, in addition to this the team already faced a reduction in wind tunnel and CFD development time due to the Aerodynamic Testing Restrictions (ATR), the 'success handicap' system which sees teams limited in terms of their development capability based on where they finished in the constructors' championship.
Hungary seemingly represented the team's last significant upgrade of the season, and the revised floor and re-profiled upper bodywork appeared to work as Max Verstappen enjoyed his biggest winning margin of the year.
Amidst predictions that title could be secured by Singapore, just four races away, the team feels it is time to switch focus.
"The upgrades did what they said on the tin, so from that point of view it's a box ticked," said Christian Horner. "Now, with the handicap that we have, we have to really swing our focus over to next year because we have a significant deficit in wind tunnel time compared to our competitors and we have to be very selective in how we use it.
"We have a few circuit-specific things," he added, referring to the remaining upgrades to the RB19, "but nothing that hasn't been done already or committed to in research and development.
"We have that penalty until October this year," he said, referring to the cost cap breach, "so particularly in terms of the amount of runs you can do per week, we are significantly down compared to second, third place and massively down compared to teams in fourth and fifth. So if you compare what McLaren can do in the wind tunnel compared to ourselves, it's a huge difference.
"Of course, we have to be very selective in the runs that we are doing," he admitted, "and that's where the engineering team back in Milton Keynes are doing an incredible job, the way they are effectively and efficiently developing the car."