Wind tunnel penalty will be redundant in curbing Red Bull’s dominance, claims Felipe Massa
Red Bull were issued a penalty for the 2021 cost cap breach.
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Felipe Massa (Image via LAT images)
Red Bull have been subjected to a wind tunnel penalty following their violation of a $145 million cost cap during the 2021 F1 season As a consequence of their breach, the Milton-Keynes-based team had been imposed with a 10% reduction in their allocated wind tunnel testing time. They also had to pay a $7 million fine.
Felipe Massa, the former Ferrari driver believes that this penalty will have a minimalistic effect on the team. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, he said, “It is difficult to imagine that the restrictions in the wind tunnel will affect their [Red Bulls] competitiveness.” His claims ring true at the moment, with the team seemingly unaffected and unhindered, strolling to victory.
Following the season opener in Bahrain, it became apparent that the wind tunnel penalty imposed on RB19 had a limited impact on the team’s performance. This backs up Felipe Massa’s claims. Furthermore, the team had cruised to victory in all five races this season, with four 1-2 finishes. This is either reflective of Red Bull being unaffected by the penalty, or their engineering prowess in alleviating its pitfalls.
Red Bull insists that their dominance will fade away as a result of the penalty
The team has been the undisputed triumphant entity on track this year thus far, with no rival in sight. However, advisor Helmut Marko believes that going forward, the team could face problems as a consequence of the limited wind tunnel time.
Despite their dominance, Red Bull expressed concerns about being at a disadvantage when it comes to introducing upgrades to their car. This is due to the penalty. They fear that this could hamper their performance compared to their competitors. According to the Austrian, with the penalty hanging over the RB19’s upgrades, the team had to carefully strategize and maximize the usage of the wind tunnel during the winter break.
“We prepared ourselves optimally for the season,” Marko said to Formel1.de. “Once we knew that this penalty would be imposed, it was clear that, when we went into the wind tunnel, it had to be done in an efficient manner and each run with a clear plan.”
As the season unfolds, Red Bull faces the reality that their allocated wind tunnel time will diminish. Their rivals will undoubtedly enjoy an advantage. Consequently, there is a risk that their competitors could swiftly narrow the performance gap between them.
In foresight of this diminishing advantage, Marko has emphasized the importance of the team accumulating maximum points now. They want to collect points before the disadvantages of the penalty began to kick in during future races.
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Tanuj Sadasivam
(245 Articles Published)