F1 cost cap contradiction? Horner and Verstappen on different pages

Red Bull were hit with a $7m fine and a 10 percent reduction in wind tunnel time for a 12-month period after being found guilty of committing a ‘minor' breach of the $145m spending limit set during Verstappen’s maiden F1 title-winning campaign in 2021. 

The Milton Keynes outfit have already served one quarter of the penalty which leaves the team with just 63 percent CFD time - the lowest aerodynamic development allocation for 2023. 

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted in a recent interview with RACER that the punishment had already “significantly” limited development of the RB19. 

Horner reiterated that stance during Red Bull’s glitzy season launch event in New York on Friday. 

“We’re doing the best with what we’ve got,” Horner told reporters. 

“The team have had to adapt to the handicap that we have. They have done a wonderful job in doing that. Is it enough? We’ll find out in a couple of weeks time as a starting point. 

“It’s certainly a significant handicap that we carry for the majority of the year. We’ve accepted it, we’ve looked to adapt, to ensure that we’re as efficient as we possibly can be. 

“We’ll see when RB19 runs on the track in anger if we’ve done enough.”

But defending world champion Verstappen, who is going for a third straight drivers’ title, seemed to downplay Red Bull’s handicap. 

“Of course I’ve thought about it, but I think we have a lot of very competent people in our factory,” he said. 

“It makes things a little bit harder but I’d prefer be in the position we are in than always finish second or third in the championship, because that is way more depressing.

“We have to be more little bit more precise with what we are doing in the wind tunnel, but I don’t expect it to be a big limiting factor in if we are going to win the title or not.”

The Dutchman added: “We don’t even really talk about it in the factory, we’re just very focused on the performance side. 

“We know how much time we have and we spend that time. We are not really thinking ‘we have less time than the others’. 

“We just have to work harder in the time that we have.”