Christian Horner insists that the ‘full impact’ of Red Bull cost cap penalty is yet to be seen

Christian Horner says that Sergio Perez will not lose his Red Bull seat even if he loses second.

Christian Horner insists that the ‘full impact’ of Red Bull cost cap penalty is yet to be seen

Red Bull's Christian Horner (via IMAGO)

Max Verstappen took a record 16th win this season, surpassing the previous record in 2022, also his own. Verstappen’s victory was yet another notch in an already dominant season for Red Bull, as they broke multiple records in 2023 in their best year ever. Christian Horner said that though Red Bull looks to be undefeatable at the moment, the effect of their penalty in 2022 for breaching cost cap regulations is still unknown.

Every year, teams face financial scrutiny to ensure they follow spending limits. In 2022, Red Bull overspent in 2021 on ‘catering,’ breaching the cost cap. Consequently, they received a significant fine and a reduction in wind tunnel testing time. This is particularly tough for Red Bull, who already had limited testing time, as they are the current world champions.

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According to Christian Horner, this penalty could be a severe setback for the team.

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Certainly, you've not seen the full impact yet because it obviously has compromised the amount of development that we've been able to do this year.
Horner said as reported by motorsport.com

Horner stated that Red Bull is fortunate to have a powerful car in 2023. They started working on their 2024 car, the RB20, early and didn’t make many improvements to the RB19. Red Bull has already won both championships this year and nearly every race, except for Singapore, where Carlos Sainz won. No teams broke the cost limit in 2022, so all 10 teams will proceed to 2024 without penalties.

Christian Horner says that Sergio Perez will not lose his Red Bull seat even if he loses second

Red Bull are set to have both their drivers finish first and second in the championship for the first time, but Lewis Hamiton is looking to prevent that. Hamilton currently sits in third, 20 points behind Sergio Perez. The gap between the two was reduced after Perez retired from the Mexican Grand Prix, a week after Hamilton suffered a similar misfortune and got disqualified from the US GP. 

Red Bull's Team Principle Christian Horner and Sergio Perez
Red Bull’s Team Principle Christian Horner and Sergio Perez (via IMAGO)

Sergio Perez is under pressure to keep his second place, with rumors suggesting he might be replaced by Red Bull if he doesn’t perform well. He struggled in the latter part of the season, often not making the top 10 in qualifying. Christian Horner, however, has denied these rumors, stating that Perez’s contract will be honored, and his position in the standings won’t impact his spot on the team.

Checo has an agreement with us for next year, and that's our intention -- for him to be in the car in 2024. We'll give him all the support that we can so that he finishes second. There's no prerequisite that if he doesn't finish second, you're out.
Christian Horner as reported by espn.in

Additionally, the Bull’s principal mentioned that Perez has three races and a sprint race in Brazil to defend against Hamilton. Horner is confident that Perez could have reached the podium in Mexico if not for his DNF. Red Bull director Helmut Marko, in an interview with Sky Sports F1, confirmed Perez’s seat for 2024.

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