18 June 2023 , 21:47
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Ted Kravitz feels Red Bull are barely suffering from their penalty for breaching Formula 1 budget cap rules after Christian Horner admitted his team is already focussed on its 2024 car.
Red Bull have won all eight races so far this year. Max Verstappen has six of those victories including at this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.
It was his 41st career F1 win, bringing him level in that regard with the late, great Ayrton Senna. And for Red Bull it marked a century of victories.
Understandably, team principal Horner was very pleased about that. And he was reacting to the win when speaking to Sky Sports that he let it slip that the team is already looking to the future.
"It's about finding that balance," he said when asked if his team will even bother to continue developing this year's car. "Obviously, because we have a lot less wind tunnel time we have to start thinking a lot about next year.
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"We're spinning a couple of plates at the moment but, with the regulations being stable, whatever we learn this year we carry into next year as well. Of course, there are things that we'll keep bringing to this year's car, but a lot of the focus now back in the factory is already on next year."
As Horner mentioned, his team has a lot less wind tunnel time to play with this year compared to rivals. That is in part because Red Bull are the defending champions, but also because of their punishment for breaking budget cap rules in 2021.
Ted Kravitz feels Red Bull's cost cap punishment is 'not a penalty at all' (Sky Sports)Responding to those comments from Horner, Sky Sports pit lane reporter Kravitz feels that punishment seems to be doing them no harm. He said in his post-race Notebook show: "They've already got the advantage with this year's car.
"We're not even halfway through the season and already they can have the capacity and aerodynamic wind tunnel testing time – even considering the penalty for the accepted breach agreement on the cost cap – to concentrate on next year's car.
"So it's a virtuous circle, having such a good car this year. It might end up that the cost cap breach and the penalty of ten per cent less wind tunnel time that Red Bull had might end up not being a penalty at all. If they can start now on next year's car, then it's not a penalty at all, is it?"