Marko gives closure on possible Red Bull violation of budget cap
- Toby McLuskie
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko looks forward to the FIA's report regarding the 2022 budget cap with confidence. According to the Austrian, his racing team's spending is within the margins, he told Motorsport-total.com.
"Reportedly, three other teams are potentially above the budget cap," the former driver informed. Marko thinks Red Bull fans can sleep easy: "I think we have enough reserves built into our budget." Last year, the Austrian racing team also thought it had stayed under the budget cap, but ran into a hefty penalty for breaking the rules. Red Bull had exceeded the budget cap, was fined and received a reduction in the time allowed to spend in the wind tunnel.
Budget cap remains vague
Major problems did not arise from the penalty for the team. Red Bull is currently proudly on top of the constructors' championship and has even already shifted its focus to developing the car for 2024. Nevertheless, Marko did comment on the current regulations surrounding the budget cap. The FIA is conducting additional research into possible costs that teams can accommodate within other branches of their company. "The cost cap still has too much room for interpretation, which leaves discussion. It needs to be tightened up."
For example, Red Bull could benefit from costs incurred to develop the RB17, a hypercar being built under the supervision of Adrian Newey. The hypercar's floor would be very complicated. Furthermore, Formula 1 technology will reportedly be implemented in the car. Marko dismisses the suggestions: "The other teams have already been allowed to look at our floor in Monaco," the Austrian refers to the frequently shared photos of the floor of the RB19, following a crash by driver Sergio Perez.