The FIA has finally put an end to all speculation surrounding Red Bull Racing's budget cap. The team must pay a $7 million fine, but must also make do with 10 per cent less testing time in the wind tunnel. How much does that hurt compared to the rivals at Ferrari and Mercedes?
This is how much time Red Bull loses in the wind tunnel
The restriction on wind tunnel time is definitely the most painful punishment imposed on Red Bull by the FIA. Because the team is the world champion among the constructors, it already had to settle for less wind tunnel time, namely 70 percent. The 10 percent penalty will be added to that, so Red Bull will have to make do with 63 percent wind tunnel time next year.
What does that mean relative to the competition? Ferrari as the second team will get 75 percent wind tunnel time, while Mercedes will be well ahead with 80 percent. The other extreme applies to Williams and AlphaTauri: they get to spend 115 and 110 percent of time in the wind tunnel, respectively.
Without punishment, Red Bull Racing's wind tunnel time in 2023 would amount to 224 runs, but the additional restriction imposed by the FIA reduces that number to 202 runs. In doing so, it will have to cut back considerably on the competition: Ferrari is allowed 240 runs, Mercedes 256. The restriction is valid for a period of 12 months from the date of the concluded agreement. That means the limit is valid until 26 October 2023 and Red Bull will also feel the pain when developing the car for the 2024 Formula 1 season.