Red Bull are not expecting to fail Formula 1 budget cap rules this season, Helmut Marko has revealed.
Amid a stellar season for the team this year, Red Bull also made the headlines for the wrong reasons when it was rumoured – and then confirmed – that they had overspent in 2021. That "minor breach" of the rules saw them slapped with a heavy fine while they also lost 10 percent of their wind tunnel time for the following 12 months.
That reduced amount of aerodynamic testing will certainly have an impact on their car development and so Red Bull will be keen to avoid breaking budget cap rules again. According to Marko, the team is not currently expecting to be in hot water over their 2022 accounts.
"According to our calculations, we're well below that this year," the long-serving team adviser told Auto Motor und Sport. "But we want to confirm that early enough so that we don't experience the same kind of surprises as last year."
That statement came after Marko cracked a joke about the budget cap when he was asked if he was able to enjoy the title celebrations with the rest of the Red Bull team after the end of the season.
The Austrian added: "I wasn't there at the celebration in Milton Keynes. There was a big show run with everything we have in motorsport. From rally cars to Formula 1. For Milton Keynes, Red Bull is the sporting figurehead. Then we had our Christmas party in London. It doesn't count in the budget cap!"
The reason why Red Bull went over the 2021 cap, team principal Christian Horner explained at the time, was because their own internal accounting did not take into account some expenses which were wrongly assumed to be exempt from the rules.
Miscommunications were always possible in the first year, but that will no longer be an excuse this time around. And Red Bull know it – the team has taken further steps this year to do its best to avoid overspending, including shelving some planned performance upgrades.
In his October press conference after their punishment was handed out, Horner suggested that up to six of his team's rivals were on course to fail cost cap rules this year. He said: "There is that chance that several teams, many of which have stated it during F1 commission meetings, will break the cap this year."
