Picture Credits Red Bull Racing
Red Bull Racing cruised to a 1’2 finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix. Max Verstappen finished 38.637s ahead of Fernando Alonso in P3 – and this was with the RB19 engine turned down during parts of the first race of the 2023 F1 season. The dominant performance from Red Bull Racing evoked a mindset of ‘us against the world’. Therefore, it was little surprise to hear team principal Christian Horner claim “What we lost in wind tunnel time we gained in motivation” in response to the sanction his team faced after being found to have exceeded the budget cap in 2021.
With one race completed, the 2023 F1 championships heading to Milton Keynes again seems a foregone conclusion for many. Max Verstappen is in imperious form and Red Bull Racing’s RB19 is miles in front of its competition – literally. Such a feat is all the more impressive as Red Bull Racing should have found themselves in a challenging situation in the off-season after being handed an extra 10% reduction in its allocated wind tunnel and CFD time for exceeding the 2021 budget cap.
“I hear people say it’s not a severe penalty, but 10 per cent less wind tunnel time and other aerodynamic tools is a draconian penalty,” said Christian Horner during a press conference back at the Mexican Grand Prix last season. “That can cost 0.25sec to 0.50sec (a lap). It will have an impact on our ability to perform on track next year.” No doubt many in the paddock had hoped this would prove to be the case. However, at present, it seems as if the RB19 is even more impressive than 2022’s commanding RB18 – which is a worrying prospect for the rest of the grid.
So, how was this possible?
Christian Horner spoke to media last time out in Bahrain and explained how the punishment, well documented as being unfair in his eyes, galvanised his team and honed their mindset.
“I think it focuses everybody’s minds, and it drives efficiency,” Horner said on the question of the impact the sanction had on the mindset of his staff. “What we lost in wind tunnel time we gained in motivation.”
Horner then continued but in a tone more similar to the one heard last year in Mexico as he claimed “It is something you have to view over 12 months because it is not just this year’s car, it is also next year’s car, I think the really positive thing for us is that we are not dealing with a fundamental issue that soaks up that resource and time.”
Even if there are issues further down the line, the RB19 looks to be so dominant that the team will already be far out in front on the track – and in the standings – which would mean they can devote more time to their 2024 challenger. Whereas, their rivals look likely to be in a closely contested season long battle for the positions behind. There is a very real prospect that other teams will be spending money on upgrading their 2023 challenger, while the RB19 looks like the finished article already. Despite this, Christian Horner is still wary of what lies ahead.
“It was vital for us to be able to cope with that penalty and to have a solid starting point. That is what the team has done a great job in achieving. We have another eight, nine months still to go with it.” Horner stated. “It means that we’re going to have to be very selective and extremely efficient in how we develop this car and, of course, next year’s car.”
Nevertheless, it may not take much to halt Red Bull Racing’s future plans. There is always a chance of a regulation change in 2024 but for now Horner feels this would be unlikely. “It really depends if anything changes in the regulations.” Horner told the media. “We’re expecting stable regulations but, of course, it is a disadvantage, a handicap, to have not only the incremental difference that you have by being in first place in the championship, and on top of that a further 10%.
“So we’re 15% less time than [Ferrari] and 20% less than Mercedes and so on. That’s a significant number. So for us it’s all about being efficient and being effective in what we apply and choose to test in the tunnel, and how we develop both the RB19 and the RB20 car.”
It is only March and Red Bull Racing are already clearly focused on their RB20 of 2024. There is every expectation within the F1 fanbase that Red Bull Racing will be back-to-back F1 Constructors’ Champions and Max Verstappen will claim a third F1 Drivers’ Championship in a row. As opposed to wondering who will win the race on a Grand Prix weekend, the discussion is already on how many races the RB19 will win this season.
Obviously, there is still a long way to go this year and no one in the Red Bull Racing ranks is anywhere near claiming the titles are inevitably headed their way. A dominant team is not an unfamiliar sight in F1. As much as neutrals may hope for a closer battle, it is important to pay tribute to the work done by Adrian Newey and co. After all, it is not the responsibility of the Champion to bring the field closer together – that is the job of their rivals.
Had Red Bull Racing not had the sanction, who knows whether the team would have still created the RB19 as it is. Such speculation is left in the past while the present belongs to Red Bull Racing. Meanwhile, if the other teams do not respond – so may the future as well.
