Currently on a roll and continuing their incredible season 2023 performance that they began in the second part of last year, team Red Bull is performing magnificently. The squad has so far won every one of the seven races, redefining the meaning of dominance. However, their persistent success is attributed to the team’s budget cap violation from 2021, the year that F1 introduced the budget cap regulations. However, after making repeated attempts to disparage Max Verstappen and his teammates, Lewis Hamilton and Co. are now being hit with a reality.

The Austrian company went above the established Budget cap of $145 million by $2.2 million in 2021, which was mostly due to unclaimed tax credits, inaccurately reported sick leave, and lunch expenses. As a result, the side’s time in the wind tunnel was reduced by 10% and they were fined $7 million. When the penalty was announced, there were various comments in which Hamilton referred to it as a “slap on the wrist,” and the head of the Mercedes team Toto Wolff understood the FIA’s decision as a warning against ” reputational damage,” indirectly hitting it on the  Milton Keynes.

Additionally, the Silver Arrows are exerting every effort this season to catch up to the fearsome Red Bull. The Brackley-based team began implementing small modifications after the Monaco Grand Prix, and the first time it paid off was at the Spanish Grand Prix, where both the Mercedes drivers earned a podium.

However now that Red Bull is breathing fire, the question of whether the company has been punished strongly enough continues to plague its competitors. In response to the concerns, F1 journalist Edd Straw’s words was found in a tweet that has surfaced on the internet, “Red Bull’s dominant performance in F1 this season is not solely due to their overspend in 2021,” clarified Straw.

Later he added while praising the squads’ exceptional skill as he said, “Despite exceeding the budget cap by $2.2m, the penalty and fine imposed on Red Bull were deemed sufficient.” Later he also emphasizes that Red Bull’s advantage stems from being an exceptionally skilled team with a relentless drive for improvement.

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Even if Red Bull deserves all the praise for their achievement, the Austrian squad has in some way benefited from its competitors. How? through poor performance. A 1996 champion claims that if the Silver Arrows maintain their “poor” form, they can catch up to the mighty Red Bull in 2024. Let’s find out how.

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Successful teams spend less time in the wind tunnel and doing CFD tests under the Formula 1 rule. Simple enough, the higher a team places in the constructor’s position, the less time it will have to operate its wind tunnel. Aston Martin, which finished seventh last year, serves as a prime example. Over the winter, they made a stunning turnaround and are now competing for podium positions.

Damon Hill, the 1996 champion, thinks that this is the only opportunity for Mercedes to catch up to Red Bull given that the team has already had less wind tunnel time since winning last year’s constructor’s title along with receiving a 10% reduction.

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Hill mentioned this during a conversation with the Skysportsf1 podcast, Ironically, “The better Mercedes do the less scope they’ve got for the following year.  So you’ve got Aston Martin who are benefitting if you like from a poor performance relatively from last year. The glass ceiling is much higher for them.”

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Do you believe that Mercedes camp was already considering the idea that was provided by Damon Hill? Having said that what do you think the Silver Arrows are up to?