After Red Bull was found guilty of crossing the budget cap limit in 2022, teams were asking for the outfit to be heavily penalized. The FIA handed out a $7 million penalty and a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time, but this punishment was not well received by other teams.
Most team principals insisted that the penalty was not as harsh as it should have been. Now that Max Verstappen and Red Bull are dominating the opening few races of the 2023 season, this claim is stronger than ever. One of the people who recently criticized the punishment handed out was Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur.
Vasseur felt that with Red Bull’s limited time in the aerodynamic department, it would be possible for Ferrari (or other teams) to close the gap to them. Unfortunately, the gap they had to the Milton-Keynes-based outfit has increased massively over the winter break. Verstappen has been almost unbeatable in the opening three races, winning two of them.
As the season progresses, and teams take notice of Red Bull’s superiority, Vasseur reaffirms his stance on the fact that Red Bull was not penalized harshly enough.
Red Bull was not given a penalty, says Fred Vasseur
Vasseur acknowledged the fact that Red Bull worked hard over the season break. Them working hard has resulted in their early season success, but according to the Frenchman, had the FIA punished them justly, this wouldn’t have been possible.
Vasseur went on to say that Red Bull were not given a penalty because it hasn’t hampered their rate of development in any way. The Ferrari boss also pointed out that Red Bull could easily spend the amount they save on aerodynamics, elsewhere which will make them stronger in other departments.
“I don’t want to say they didn’t do a good job,” said Vasseur as quoted by The Guardian. “Because they did a very good job on the car. I am not trying to find any excuses but if you ask me if the penalty is too light, I say ‘yes’.”
Vasseur sticking to original plan to drive Ferrari success
After a disastrous second half to the 2022 season, fans were expecting Ferrari to bounce back. With lots of structural changes within the organization, expectations were high from Vasseur. So far, however, they haven’t delivered.
The Maranello-based outfit showed signs of progress in Melbourne but with luck not in their favor, they left Albert Park without a single point. The pressure is high on them, but Vasseur insists that they are making progress. Talking about the rest of the season, Vasseur is adamant that they will stick to their plans.
“We made some adjustments,” he said. “It was much better in Melbourne. And we will continue to update this car.
