Despite 324 additional wind tunnel runs, Wolff believes that Mercedes will not be able to beat Red Bull
Red Bull is the team that had less time to fine-tune their car at the start of the upcoming season, but for Toto Wolff, this penalty is not necessarily a major handicap.
As the 2023 season is about to begin, Red Bull sees its competitors working tirelessly to be the fastest on the track. Moreover, the Austrian team has to face certain constraints. Since 2021, the FIA has implemented rules regarding time spent in wind tunnels and using CFD. The team that is the reigning constructor’s champion has the least amount of time to fine-tune their cars, while according to their position in the standings, each team ranked lower has an additional 5 points of wind tunnel time compared to the team ahead of them.
202 wind tunnel tests for Red Bull, compared to 256 for Mercedes.
However, for the Austrian team, the penalty is even heavier as they have received a penalty for exceeding the budget cap in 2021. Specifically, if Red Bull was supposed to have the right to 224 wind tunnel runs for each of the 6 “periods” allowed in the regulations, with their penalty, Red Bull will lose an additional 22, only allowing them 202 runs. For comparison, Ferrari will have the right to 240 wind tunnel runs compared to 256 for Mercedes, still per period.
Regarding the CFD, 1260 simulations will be allowed for each of the 6 periods at Red Bull, compared to 1500 at Ferrari and 1600 at Mercedes.
Nevertheless, for Toto Wolff, boss of the Mercedes team, these penalties are not necessarily detrimental for Red Bull: « The lack of time in the wind tunnel is not a good thing for them and it’s an advantage for us this season. But, if you have an efficient machine, you can compensate for that, or at least a large part of it. They did a great job last season having a car that was the fastest on the track with a half-second lead over everyone ».
Wolff indeed believes that the impact of the penalty will not be felt immediately.
« In the long term, this may be good for us, but we have been in this same situation even without a penalty in previous years, and we have continued to win. It will definitely bother them a little, but if they are efficient, considering what they have shown, it won’t be a big obstacle for them,” he said in an interview with Sky Sport.”
For Toto Wolff, Mercedes still needs to prove that they are back.
Mercedes is trying to bounce back against Red Bulls after a difficult 2022 season where the W13 managed to secure only one victory. Wolff believes in his team’s comeback as one of the biggest rivals for Red Bull this season. He stated, “We have heard very positive comments from some of the other teams, saying that we will be serious contenders for the title. But we must first prove that we have made the right decisions, and I would like to have a fight at the front, maybe not just among the top three teams. It’s good for Formula 1, it’s what makes it so exciting.”
