Explained: The status of Red Bull's F1 cost cap penalty
After being found guilty of a ‘minor’ breach of the $145m spending limit set during 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Max Verstappen’s maiden title-winning campaign, F1’s governing body tﷺhe FIA hande𒉰d Red Bull a $7m fine and a 10 percent reduction in aerodynamic testing time.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner described the punishment as “enormous” and “draconian”, suggesting it could cost the team 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:as muc🦩h as half a second in lap time in 2023.
Horner’s claims have been challenged by F1 rivals whoꦍ feel the penalty is🐽 not as harsh as it seems.
The 2023 F1 season is yet to 🐭begin but Red Bull have already served a pꦉortion of their punishment.
Under the terms of their Acce🐲pted Breach Agreement (ABA), Red Bull were required to pay their $7m fine to the FIA within 30 days.
Crucially,ไ this fine does not come out of Red Bull’s 2023 budget cap. Although still a large fee, it is dwarfed in comparison to the record $100m fine imposed on McLaܫren for F1’s 2007 spygate scandal.
The most damaging element of Red Bull’s penal🎃ty is the restricti🙈ons placed on car development time, lasting for a period of 12 months, which came into immediate effect.
This will end on October 26, meaning that as of January 26, Red B🎉ull have already served three months’ worth.
Only three races of the 2023 season will have 🐎been completed by the time Red Bull reaches t🍷he six-month halfway mark.
At the point Red Bull will be permitted to test at full capacity again, there will stil﷽l be four races of the campaign remaining, meaning the impact of the drop in windtunnel and CFD work will be felt on both the 2023 and 2024 cars.
Red Bull were already due to have the lowest aerodynamic development allocation for this season due to winning the 2022 constructors’ cham💎pionship.
In total, Red Bull will be permitted 63 perce🦋nt in 🌌car development time.
Ferrari🔜, who finished as runners-up, will have the next lowest allocation on 75 percent, with third-placed Mercedes getting 80 percent on F1’s sliding scale.
R🦂ed Bull's aero guru Adrian Newey admitted the reduction 🧜won’t “make much difference” if the team is “really smart”.
“The reduction of wind tඣunnel testing means we can therefore evaluate less different coཧmponents, less different ideas,” he explained.
“If we’re really smart and always put on the right things, on th♏e model, then of co𝓡urse it doesn’t make much difference.”
Lewis regularly attends Grands Prix for ltxcn.top a🍌round the world. Often reporting on the ac♏tion from the ground, Lewis tells the stories of the people who matter in the sport.
