22/07/2023 11:22 | by Mike van Weert
Christian Horner has delivered a sneer at the Mercedes drivers. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have criticized the penalty for Red Bull Racing’s budget overrun in 2021, but Horner finds it very easy to criticize if you are not competitive yourself. The team boss himself sees that the restrictions do indeed have an effect, but that the team has worked very well with this handicap.
Multiple rumors surfaced ahead of the weekend that some teams had exceeded the budget cap in 2022. The FIA has said the rumors are unfounded, but it has rekindled the fire in Formula 1. The Mercedes drivers have responded to the rumors and point to the penalty Red Bull received for the budget overrun in 2021. Hamilton and Russell expect tougher penalties for this season.
The Mercedes drivers see that Red Bull has hardly been affected by the penalty. “Believe me, the blow we’ve taken from the lack of wind tunnel time compared to our competitors is a huge compromise,” Horner told Sky Sports. If wind tunnels don’t count, why don’t we get rid of them?’ At the same time, the Red Bull team boss also gives a small sneer at Mercedes. “It’s always easy to criticize when you’re not performing well. It’s one of the things in F1 that will always happen.”
Horner: ‘It has been an extraordinary achievement’
The criticism towards Red Bull’s penalty is mainly due to the dominance of the Austrian team. Horner sees it mainly as proof of the hard work of the people of Milton Keynes. “I’m just incredibly proud of the work our team is doing with the limitations we have. To perform at the level we’ve done this year, to take 11 straight wins has been an extraordinary achievement,” said the Briton.
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