Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says that his team can’t be completely sure it is within the budget cap after its controversial over-spend in 2021.
During the 2022 season, the reigning World Champions were found guilty by the FIA of breaching the cap that was active the year prior.
2021 was the first year that F1 operated under a cost cap, which at the time, was set to $145 million.
Red Bull was the only team to overspend and fell into the category of a “minor” breach, which resulted in a less severe punishment.
The team was fined $7m and was also docked time allocated to development, which Horner states is having a significant impact on the Milton Keynes-based squad.
The budget cap dropped to $140m for 2022, while the 2023 season will see teams allowed to spend a maximum of $135m.
While Horner expressed confidence that Red Bull wouldn’t be over the limit again, he says that there is no way to be completely sure until the FIA reviews its accounts.
“You could never be 100% sure,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.
“But certainly [after] all the aspects that were a reason for us to be over in 2021, which remember it was a very first year of a set of very complicated regulations, we’re confident that we should be comfortably within the cap.”
Horner pointed out that fewer crashes and less development during the 2022 season compared to 2021 leaves it confident that it is within the limit.
“For 2022, the amount of development we did – and particularly crash damage that we had – was significantly less.
“So, until you’ve got the certificate [of compliance], nothing is 100%. But I’d be very surprised if we weren’t fully within the cap.”
Red Bull will once again field Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez in 2023, with the former aiming to take a third consecutive F1 title.
