Red Bull had been unstoppable in the last couple of years. Almost every department has been clicking for the Austrian F1 team. In modern times, very few teams have had a hegemony like what the Milton Keynes team is enjoying right now. But what made the Austrian team so superior in the last two years?
Many believe it is the greatness of the three-time champion Max Verstappen. But it is more than just the greatness of the main driver. The team has been able to provide Max with a superior car, RB19, that was clearly the fastest on the grid. But Christian Horner recently explained why his team deserves applause for developing the fastest car ever.
Why Does Red Bull Boss Think It Was Very Difficult To Build RB19?
Recently, in an interview with Speedcafe, Christian Horner pointed out the factor of the penalized wind tunnel time. Red Bull breached the cost cap limit in 2021. As a result, they received a penalty of $7 million along with a 10% reduction in their aerodynamic testing for a year. That reduction would start in October 2022. Since Red Bull served the penalty, Horner mentioned their wind tunnel allowance increased a little last October. Albeit, it allowed the Red Bull team 7% more time, other competitors enjoyed 8% more wind tunnel time. But Christian Horner is not too unhappy about the allowance because he knows that’s just how the regulation works.
Later, the Red Bull boss compared the wind tunnel his team had with a Cold War relic. Moreover, Christian Horner feels the wind tunnel was not very efficient either. Red Bull would have a lot of trouble with the wind tunnel in cold weather mostly. Horner said such weather was prevalent mostly in the United Kingdom. Hence, the team had to be “Very, very selective.” That’s the reason why the Red Bull boss thinks they deserve applause for being brilliant in selecting where they would channel their development.
Regulation Changes Really Affect A Team’s Domination On The Grid
Prior to 2022, the German team had a complete domination. The Mercedes team won eight constructor titles in a row from 2014 to 2021. Clearly, regulation changes affect each team in F1 differently. It was the turbo-hybrid era that saw the Brackley team rise in power. But in recent times, another regulation change saw Horner’s team back on top. It is the new cost cap era. Clearly, no other team has been more successful than Christian Horner’s side since the cost cap era began.
Last year, the Milton Keynes outfit won 17 races, and this year, they had even bigger success. Horner’s team went on to win 21 races in 2023. Fans believe if the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix did not get washed out, then Red Bull would win 22 races out of 23 overall. The only team that was able to beat the Austrian team was Ferrari in the Singaporean Grand Prix. On the other hand, Mercedes fell so low that they only managed a solitary victory in Brazil last year. That’s the only race Mercedes has won in the last two years.
