Horner on 'cultural change' in F1: 'Interesting to see how it pans out'

So far, Red Bull Racing have started the 2023 Formula 1 season strong, but Christian Horner does not expect it to be easy for his team to maintain its current lead. He attributes this partly to the "culture change" he sees in the sport.

Given the wind tunnel penalty imposed on Red Bull Racing by the FIA, the team faces a big challenge in introducing updates for the RB19. "I think it will be very tough for us to develop this car, because when you look at the amount of percentage time less we have compared to some of our rivals, it’s significant," Horner said in conversation with F1.com.

"But it is what it is," the Red Bull team boss continued. "We just have to do the best we can with what we’ve got, be efficient, effective, and selective in what we choose to develop, and how we apportion our time." According to Horner, however, this will not be an easy task given the recent changes in the sport.

"It’s been a total cultural change over the last couple of years," Horner said, referring to the introduced budget cap. "It’s a new challenge in Formula 1, how you apply your resources. It used to be a sprint in terms of developing a car as quickly as you could with whatever budget you can rustle up."

Now, however, it is all about how and where F1 teams deploy their resources. Unexpected costs, such as damage incurred in crashes, must also be factored in. Such variable costs can have a "huge effect" on a team's development capabilities, the Red Bull team boss stresses. "It’s going to be interesting to see how it pans out this year," Horner said.