Red Bull caused quite a stir the previous season when it was discovered that the Milton Keynes-based company had exceeded the budget cap in 2021.
Rivals demanded an explanation after that breach affected a year in which Max Verstappen won the title in a contentious race, narrowly defeating Lewis Hamilton.
However, the punishment that Red Bull was later given—a $7 million fine and a ban on auto development—was met with disapproval.
Beginning on October 26 of last year, a 365-day period during which the team’s ATR was lowered by 10% was added to the 30% reduction already provided by the sliding scale testing regulations, which were designed to maintain level playing fields in Formula One.
Verstappen has been so dominant this season that Red Bull seems to be unaffected by the penalty. He has won 15 of the 18 races held and is heading into his third consecutive title. Additionally, the team has already won the Constructors’ title.
The dominance this season has been remarkable. Red Bull won the first two world titles, and Perez won the other two races, despite Verstappen’s incredible form.
Compared to the rest of the year, the team can now devote more time to development at the factory since the penalty has been lifted. Given the RB19’s performance, the team appears to be one step ahead of the competition by switching to the equipment for the upcoming season early on.
Second place in the championship For instance, Red Bull is already finished with its work at the factory, while Mercedes is still making improvements to the W14 in an effort to learn ahead of the upcoming season. Meanwhile, the Silver Arrows are gathering data.
