UNITED STATES: Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 world champion, doesn’t believe that Red Bull’s aerodynamic testing penalty for violating the 2021 budget cap will determine their chances of defending their world championships.
The team secured the constructor’s championship last year, with Verstappen successfully retaining his driver’s championship.
However, the FIA declared that Red Bull had breached F1’s budget cap in the year of Verstappen’s first world championship win.
As a result, the team was fined $7 million and had a 10 percent reduction in their aerodynamic and wind tunnel testing allocation.
At the launch of Red Bull’s new livery for the 2023 season in New York, Verstappen stated that he was confident that the aerodynamic testing restriction would not affect his chances of retaining his title.
“I think we have a lot of very competent people in our factory,” Verstappen told the media.
The Red Bull driver added that the penalty makes things a little bit harder, but he prefers to be in a leading position rather than always finishing second or third in the championship.
He asserted that Red Bull would have to be more precise with what they do in the wind tunnel. However, he doesn’t expect it to be a significant limiting factor in their title aspirations.
In 2022, Mercedes struggled to match Red Bull, falling behind Ferrari in the championship.
Max Verstappen says he can’t be sure if Mercedes will pose a greater threat to his title this season than in 2022.
Max Verstappen also believes Ferrari will be strong this season, but it’s difficult to say how strong.
The driver is hopeful that Red Bull will have a superior package compared to Mercedes and Ferrari and that he and his team will be able to defend their world championships.
Max Verstappen is confident that Red Bull’s aerodynamic testing penalty won’t affect their chances of defending their world championships.
The driver believes that they have a competent team and that they’ll be able to build a strong car against their rivals, Mercedes and Ferrari.
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