'Penalty Red Bull won't hurt as much as problems Ferrari/Mercedes have got'

Red Bull Racing is required to spend less time in the wind tunnel as a result of exceeding its budget cap in 2021. The team is expected to be hit hard by the penalty, but Johnny Herbert believes Red Bull will still be strong next season.

Although Red Bull had a fairly easy year with Max Verstappen's dominant title win, the team was also embroiled in a lot of drama. In the second half of the season, it was revealed that the team exceeded the budget cap in 2021. The FIA decided to punish the Austrian racing team with a fine and 10 per cent less time in the wind tunnel.

The question is how hard Red Bull will be hit by the aerodynamic restriction. With the RB18, the team already has a good base for the new 2023 car anyway, but Red Bull will not be able to continue developing as much as Ferrari and Mercedes. The other two top teams will get more time in the wind tunnel because they finished lower in the constructors' championship than Red Bull.

Red Bull not unbeatable

"Red Bull is still going to be strong and whatever you think of the aerodynamic limitation penalties the team received for the budget cap overspend, it’s probably not going to hurt it overall as much as the problems Ferrari and Mercedes have got", Herbert writes in his column for Motorsport Magazine.

Fans and pundits hope we will see another exciting title fight next season, preferably between more than two teams. Herbert believes Red Bull is definitely beatable. "Red Bull will still be the target to topple. Is it beatable? Damn right it is, as Ferrari showed early on last season, as did Mercedes at altitude," says the British analyst.