The topic of financial regulation violations committed by Red Bull Racing and subsequent fines will remain relevant for a long time to come, because the most tangible thing for the team should not be the financial component ($7 million) but the restriction on working with the car in the wind tunnel.
Due to these sanctions, the time allotted for such research is reduced by 10%, but since the team won the Constructors’ Championship, current rules already allow them to work less than rivals in aerodynamics. As a result, it appears that the team will only spend 63% of the base test volume on it, against 75% for Ferrari, which took second place in the team standings.
That worries the management of the team, but Max Verstappen does not share those concerns. The two-time world champion does not believe these restrictions will affect the team too much.
“Of course I have thought about the consequences of these sanctions for us, but I believe that highly skilled specialists work on the basis of the team,” he told reporters after the presentation of RB19 in New York. – It is clear that things are going to get a bit more difficult for us, and yet I would prefer to stay in the position we are in now.
Finishing a championship in second or third place is always a lot more frustrating. Now the team and our specialists will have to choose more precisely what kind of research they want to do in the wind tunnel, but I don’t think this will become a serious deterrent that will determine whether we can fight for the title or not.
As a team, we prefer not to talk about these limitations and focus only on improving efficiency. We know how much time we have at our disposal and we spend this time building the best car. We just have to work harder. The most important thing is that the car is as competitive as possible when it goes out on the track.”
But in the course of communication with the press, Max also spoke about less serious topics, so he cheerfully denied Helmut Marko’s words that now the racer’s private plane is also equipped with a racing simulator: “This is due to a misunderstanding. I don’t want a simulator in an airplane, and he meant a simulator in an RV. Maybe I can work on it for three hours in the Grand Prix days. And he, I believe, just does not get on the plane!
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
