The cost cap budget of $140 million is something that resisted Ferrari from winning more than four races. It is something that took all the reputations of Red Bull, even if they are the team with both championships. Yet, it has never affected the most expensive team, Mercedes, so far. The Silver Arrows indeed was the one who was furious seeing the lowest budget launched by FIA. Yet when the evaluation of this year’s performance was done, the budget was not found as one of those porpoising issues that made the team lose so badly.
Meanwhile, at the end of the season, Christian Horner came out to claim that at least six of the teams must have crossed the budget cost limits this season. Not willingly, but because of the fluctuating energy prices. Yet when Mercedes was found under the cap, it surprised Horner. Mercedes faced porpoising issues this season, probably for the first time in their entire career. As a result, several things happened for the first time.
Like Lewis Hamilton passed 2022 as the only season without a pole or win, also, it was the only season when the team lost the constructors after Hamilton’s presence. In addition, a good thing happened too. George Russell won a race for the first time in his three years career at Formula One.
Christian Horner Surprised By Mercedes’ Big Step From Bahrain To Brazil, Under The Cost Cap
However, the Silver Arrows did great ultimately, as they succeeded in developing the upgrades which helped the drivers win the Brazilian Grand Prix. The year was bad for Mercedes, but it was bad for Red Bull, too. The team got accused of breaching last year’s budget. And FIA finally proved the allegations right. They slapped the team with a “draconian” penalty that was minor by the rivals. Red Bull was penalized with a $7 million fine and a 10% deduction in the Wind Tunnel test for 12 whole months. This caused a lot of reputational damage to the team as one of its fellow rivals called Red Bull the “cheater”.
Nevertheless, late in an interview, boss Christian Horner was asked to say something about Mercedes’s cost cap. He said, Under the budget limit, it has been surprising, just the amount of development [as Mercedes brought so many upgrades in W13 in order to increase the team’s performance].” Horner later revealed that Red Bull had least crashes this year and so we had to brought moderate amount of development.”
However, Christian Horner remained surprised. Like how it is even possible for a team who developed so many times and yet remained under the cap. The Red Bull boss said, “Specifically in the second half of the year, Mercedes rate of development has been surprising.” In the end, the principal of the 2022 winning team sounded impressed with Mercedes’s big step. Horner admitted that in Bahrain, Mercedes were at its lowest. But through their hard work and upgrades, the team managed to rise in Austin, Mexico, and Brazil.
