Red Bull should be affected by the restrictions on aerodynamic testing
Red Bull could face difficulties in developing their car for the next season due to the restrictions on aerodynamic testing, caused by exceeding their budget during the 2021 season.
Sanctioned in 2021 for exceeding the budget limit, Red Bull may be impacted in the creation of the car for the 2024 season. The Austrian franchise has been penalized with a restriction on aerodynamic testing in 2023. Red Bull exceeded the maximum budget of 1.86 million euros.
The 2022 world champion team already had the shortest time for conducting aerodynamic tests compared to all the other teams on the grid. Therefore, the team is even more penalized by this sanction. With the lead taken by Red Bull and especially by Max Verstappen, the team could quickly seek to develop the car for 2024.
A complicated situation for Pierre Wache, the technical director of Red Bull: “It doesn’t get any easier just because we’re leading the championship. It’s also difficult, we’re pushing to the limit. I think it could definitely affect the current development of the car and maybe close the gap this year. But it will also massively impact next year’s car,” he said to Race Fans.
This restriction could help reduce disparities
With only 63% of the allocated time for Red Bull for aerodynamic tests, rival teams could see an opportunity to close in on the Austrians. According to Mercedes, that is not the main concern. From Mercedes’ point of view, we are simply trying to work as best as possible within our own limit of ATR, without worrying too much about those behind us and those ahead of us, explained James Allison, Mercedes’ technical director, to Race Fans.
The team that could take the lead is Aston Martin, the English team currently positioned 3rd in the championship behind Mercedes. Their star driver, Fernando Alonso, is 3rd in the driver’s championship. The Spaniard has been on the podium 6 times and possesses one of the race paces closest to Red Bull. The latest improvements from Aston Martin allowed the 41-year-old driver to finish the race just 9 seconds behind Max Verstappen in Canada. This is the slimmest margin throughout the season.
For now, Red Bull members do not know if the car will be able to dominate next year, but the objective is to win the championship again. I cannot tell you that it is easier [to deal with the restriction] because we want the best car next year. Then, how it will affect our performances, I do not know yet, says Pierre Wache.
