The Milton Keynes outfit introduced a number of updates to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix that have helped the team outpace Ferrari , with Max Verstappen winning at Imola and Miami.
Those from Maranello have so far not put any major improvements on their F1-75 , with the intention of taking their first package to the next race in Spain. However, the Italian outfit believe Red Bull’s current lead may be a result of the team having spent much more on development so far this year , meaning it will likely hit its budget cap much sooner.
Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto said after Miami: “There is a budget cap, so at some point Red Bull will stop developing, if not I don’t understand how they can do it.”
The Austrians, on the other hand, have denied any comments that it has hastened their development and consequent spending on resources beyond those needed for early season progress.
Red Bull sports adviser Helmut Marko was clear in stating that his team’s spending is in line with that of its rivals, and that its improvements seem so big because it is also losing weight with each update.
Asked if Red Bull had outspent Ferrari so far this year, Marko said: “I don’t think so. We plan our upgrades in such a way that we always lose weight with each one, because unfortunately we haven’t quite reached the minimum weight, and we won’t reach it with the next upgrade either.
“I don’t think we are in a different position than Ferrari in this regard, especially as I wonder what effect it has on them that Carlos Sainz has already crashed the car several times. That can’t be cheap,” he said.
The Austrian said any concerns Red Bull had about the budget cap were related to issues affecting all teams alike, such as the rising cost of transport.
“It is true that the increase in logistics prices is a problem,” he said. “But that doesn’t just affect us, it also affects Ferrari and everyone else.”
Meanwhile, Red Bull boss Christian Horner said he was aware of the budget cap limitation, and that the focus was on producing changes that would offer the most value for money.
“You have to be very careful about the improvements that are introduced due to the budget restrictions this year. We have to make sure that we introduce something that is profitable,” concluded the Briton.
