The punishment for Red Bull’s reduced wind tunnel time is over
Red Bull has been penalized for exceeding the limited budget during the 2021 season. The penalty on its wind tunnel time has expired.
The Red Bull sanction is officially over. The Austrian team was penalized in the previous season for exceeding the budget cap during the 2021 World Championship. The amount of the exceedance was 2.1 million euros (approximately 1.8 million pounds) out of the authorized over 150 million.
During this season, Max Verstappen won his first World Championship title by snatching victory from Lewis Hamilton in the final race. Although the FIA decided to penalize Red Bull for their regulation violation, the repercussions concerned the upcoming seasons rather than the title itself. Christian Horner’s team received a fine of 7 million euros and a sporting sanction: a reduction in the time allocated to wind tunnel testing and computer analysis for one year. 10% of the total time between October 26, 2022, and 2023 was deducted.
As the World Constructor Champion, Red Bull initially had the right to 70% of the wind tunnel time granted by the FIA. However, due to this penalty, the total time has been reduced to 63% for the entire season. As a result, the team had to face a significant disadvantage compared to other teams in developing their vehicle. Each team now benefits from a 5% increase in their wind tunnel time based on their position in the rankings (ranging from 70% for the World Champions to 100% for the last-placed team).
A bad news for the competition.
The end of this suspension is likely to be bad news for the other teams. This season, despite significantly reduced wind tunnel time, even inferior to that of other teams, Red Bull has dominated the constructor championship in an overwhelming manner. Although Sergio Perez encountered difficulties throughout the season, Max Verstappen remained untouchable with 15 victories. The two other drivers who won Grand Prix races were Perez in Azerbaijan and Carlos Sainz in Singapore, being the only driver outside the Red Bull team to triumph in 2023. Furthermore, the team is heading towards a double in the constructor championship, with its two drivers leading the way. Perez currently has a 39-point lead over his closest pursuer, Lewis Hamilton.
With the lifting of this penalty just before the end of the season, the Austrian team will be able to fully focus on the development of its car for the 2024 season. The gap with its competitors is likely to widen further, due to the technical superiority of the engineers at the Red Bull team.
