Horner and Verstappen on effects budgetcap: 'We have to be targeted now'

After their fourth win and third one-two finish of the season, Red Bull Racing can be very proud of the results so far. However, there is a slight damapener hanging over them in the form of their reduced testing time in the wind tunnel as punishment for breaching the budget cap. Speaking to GPblog and others, Max Verstappen and team boss Christian Horner in Azerbaijan discussed the possible consequences of the penalty.

You might not say it looking at the results, but Red Bull Racing are working with a handicap this year. As punishment for breaching the 2021 budget cap, the team has been given significantly less testing time in the wind tunnel this year. For now, this does not seem to have a negative impact on the team's results, but there are regular warnings that this penalty could start to hamper Red Bull over the course of the season.

"I think that's why we have to make sure that we keep developing really well at the moment," Verstappen acknowledged. "When that time comes that you know we are going to feel that penalty, hopefully we still have a big enough gap to compensate. But that's why also now it's very important to score all these kinds of results."

Red Bull has been well prepared, according to Horner

The penalty was announced somewhat ahead of time. In October 2022, the team already knew where it stood for this season. This allowed the team to anticipate this restriction, Horner explained.

"Since October last year, we have to be very selective how we use our wind tunnel time. We don't have the ability to just run loads of different ideas and concepts, we have to be very targeted and thankfully the basis of the car that we have there is a solid starting point. So that's where our focus is, in trying to build a gap."