Dominating the Grid Despite 10% Penalty on Wind Tunnel, Red Bull Boss Is Doubtful About Continuing the Winning Streak

Sabyasachi Biswas | 13/08/2023
Dominating the Grid Despite 10% Penalty on Wind Tunnel, Red Bull Boss Is Doubtful About Continuing the Winning Streak

Despite having a ten percent penalty on its head, Red Bull has continued to dominate the F1 grid. So much so that they picked up all 12 wins out of 12 races. But now, Christian Horner has finally decided to admit that they are still on the back foot due to the reduction in wind tunnel time and might not continue the winning streak for long.

The Austrian team has mastered the new regulations as they are on their way to repeating their 2022 feat. With Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in the wings, the Milton Keynes-based team clinched the Constructors’ championship. And as it stands, they are very much the favorite to retain the trophy.

Interestingly, even after having a deficit in the wind tunnel times, the Bulls are still the fastest car on the grid. But Horner, who does not want any rivalry now, is now doubtful about the longevity of their superiority.

Horner is doubtful over Red Bull’s superiority’s longevity

The Red Bull supremo Horner has recently reflected on his team’s mega run. But also at the same time talked about the implications it could bring when they hit the 10% reduction ceiling.

Speaking of it, the 49-year-old boss said as per Dutch Racingnews365, “As a team, we can be very proud of this phenomenal result. But how long can we go on like this? No one knows.”

Furthermore, emphasizing the wind tunnel reduction Red Bull is receiving, the British boss put down the example of McLaren. He said that the Papaya team can perform numerous runs in the wind tunnel, but his team will not have that luxury due to the 2021 cost cap penalty.

Red Bull needs to tiptoe their development prowess

Given the fact that Red Bull has a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time, they have to be very careful in their development game. The engineers on the team need to sort out every aspect and think twice before they spend their time on the wind tunnel for an upgrade.

Since the Milton Keynes-based team has been leading the field for a long time now, they have not been bringing many upgrades. And their restrictions in the tunnel time is also a reason behind this.

But in the end, Christian Horner does not want to dwell on it. For now, his focus would only be on the Constructors’ championship and the Drivers’ championship and taking them home.

Post Edited By: Shreya Sanjeev
Christian Horner Max Verstappen

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Sabyasachi Biswas

Sabyasachi Biswas is an F1 journalist at The SportsRush. With over one and a half decades of love for the sport and five years of experience in the field, he dreams to be a regular at the paddock when the lights go out. A Red Bull fan and F1 fan in general over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa, Sebastian Vettel, and Max Verstappen dominate the track. Apart from F1, he's also a big-time Madridista and Federer fanatic. He was a sub-junior level footballer, won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak throughout, he tries different cuisines and learns new cultures whenever he's away from the keyboard.

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