The way in which the Budget Cap is used caused the first frictions between Red Bull and Scuderia Ferrari. The Milton Keynes team, in fact, has brought to the track a series of updates which raise doubt about how they are spending their development budget, with Motorsport Italy recently stating that they have already used 75% of the resources available for upgrades.
However, other calculations revealed a completely different reality. According to this information provided by funoanalisitecnica.com, therefore, not only would Red Bull easily stay within the costs, but they would actually spend less than Ferrari.
Budget Cap: A bigger piggy bank than expected
Since its existence emerged, the top teams have begun to worry about cutting back on their expenses. The Budget Cap, in fact, aims to reduce the gaps between the teams by limiting the amount of money that can be spent. The first limit was $ 140 million. For the 2022 Formula season, however, the limit has slightly increased.
The regulations, in fact, allow teams to have a certain extra amount for Grand Prix expenses. The presence of 23 races on the calendar, therefore, would allow the teams to have a limit equal to 142 million dollars, which would drop to 141 if “only” 22 events are to take place, given that the Russian Grand Prix has been cancelled and no replacement has been identified for the moment.
The result is greater freedom for larger teams, who can face expenses with greater peace of mind.
Since the start of the 2022 F1 campaign, Red Bull has already brought many updates to the track. The improvement of the RB18 is undeniable, considering that in the Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen secured his second consecutive victory, the third of the season. This was possible thanks to an improved car: faster and more reliable, not only compared to the one presented by the Milton Keynes team in the previous races, but also compared to its major rival. Ferrari, in fact, seems to be the least competitive between the two teams.
However, Erik van Haren, journalist of the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, has shown that not only is Red Bull perfectly within the costs but is also spending less than the Prancing Horse. As a result, he feels that the Austrian team may still have many possibilities to introduce further updates. It is no coincidence, in fact, that the ones we have seen so far are minor updates. The major ones will be brought to the RB18 after the summer.
We have now come to the big question: how is it possible for Red Bull to spend less than Ferrari by making a large number of updates?
The updates that the Milton Keynes team are making are minor. The major ones, as explained by funoanalisitecnica.com, will arrive in a few months. It is also essential to point out that the Austrian team has studied a very accurate expense plan and all these updates are planned. Team principal Christian Horner said that for the moment the goal is to reduce the weight of the car.
Another reason why not exceeding the limit imposed by the budget cap will not be a problem for Red Bull is the cuts on other expenses. The Milton Keynes team is making some cuts in order to be able to invest the expected amount of money in updates.
For starters, Red Bull is bringing fewer spare parts to each Grand Prix. If, for example, a Formula 1 team carries around 3 or 4 spare parts per race, Red Bull is carrying only one. Considering that the events are twenty-three, the result is an economic saving of some importance.
The staff going to the races has also been reduced, while at the same time the Austrian team has increased the number of its employees working from the base in the Milton Keynes factory. The employees who face the season on the track and therefore require a significant financial commitment are limited to the minimum necessary, bringing another source of savings for the team.
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Finally, the third and final variant concerns the case. The problems which Red Bull has encountered on track during the first five races proved more costly in terms of points rather than expenses, as compared to those that happened to Ferrari. The crashes suffered by Carlos Sainz required a significant economic expenditure for the car to be put back in place.
Red Bull, on the other hand, suffered from problems which, fortunately for them, proved to be “inexpensive” in comparison: fuel and power supplies were needed to get the RB18 back on track, elements that are relatively affordable.
In short, Red Bull does manage to stay within the 142 million dollars provided for by the Budget Cap, and not only that: there is also room for further improvement.
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