Christian Horner fears that Red Bull will find it "very tough" to maintain their advantage over their competitors throughout 2023. The team have had a dominant start to the season, having claimed victory at all three races so far with a significant edge over their closest rivals. However, as the winners of the 2022 Constructors' Championship, Red Bull have less wind tunnel and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) time this year, as well as also being hampered by the penalties they received for breaching the 2021 budget cap. The squad were handed a 10 percent deduction in aerodynamic and CFD allowances, along with a $7 million fine, and Horner believes that the team's difference in development time compared to others could prove challenging.
Horner on 'tough' challenge
"I think it will be very tough for us to develop this car, because when you look at the amount of percentage time less we have compared to some of our rivals, it's significant," Horner is quoted by F1 . "But it is what it is. We just have to do the best we can with what we've got, be efficient, effective, and selective in what we choose to develop, and how we apportion our time." The team boss feels that various "cultural changes" within the sport have also added to the task facing Red Bull and other teams. "It's been a total cultural change over the last couple of years. It's a new challenge in Formula 1, how you apply your resources," he explained. "It used to be a sprint in terms of developing a car as quickly as you could with whatever budget you can rustle up. "Now it's a question of how and where do you apply your resources, and of course there are so many variables like crash damage, accident damage in there that can have a massive effect on your potential to develop. "It's going to be interesting to see how it pans out this year."
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