Mercedes Surprise Red Bull by Pulling Off the One Thing Milton Keynes Failed in 2022

The 2023 season has not begun yet but the Red Bull boss, Christian Horner has. The Brit developed a rivalry status with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff during the 2021 season. The two often called each other out with public comments. We thought we had seen the last of it in 2021. However, Christian Horner has different plans as he points out how Mercedes pulled off a move in 2022 that Red Bull couldn’t.

The move we are talking about here is a move by Mercedes to develop their car and stay within the budget cap. This a move that Red Bull failed to do in 2021 and is penalized for the same in 2023. A move that has frankly surprised the Red Bull boss as reported by the British news outlet Express.

Seeing Mercedes bring constant developments that delivered them a race win in Brazil, Horner shared his bemusement. “Under the budget cap, it has been surprising just the amount of development. We have had the least crashes and a moderate amount of development,” he said.

“But it has certainly been surprising the rate they (Mercedes) have developed, particularly in the second half of the year. But that is F1. When you consider where they were in Bahrain to where they were at the end of the year, it was a big step.” he concluded.

Read More: Mercedes Boss Has Only One Hope Red Bull Cost Cap Allegations Are False: “Every Million is a Disadvantage”

This could be a first and subtle step from Horner to push the FIA to look into Mercedes’ dealing more closely. Especially after Toto Wolff publicly criticized Red Bull on multiple occasions.

Moreover, Toto Wolff might just breach the cap to get the desired performance.

The Mercedes boss will go over the budget if the budget cap penalty doesn’t seem sufficient

Toto Wolff and Mattia Binotto had frequent meetings during the whole budget cap drama. The two bosses were ready to start a civil war had the FIA not brought the hammer down on Red Bull.

A report published by Formula Passion even claimed Toto Wolff would go over budget and prepare for the financial repercussions to get the results. The report stated, “Mercedes have already talked about it and, if this were really the point of failure, the Star [Toto Wolff] is ready to plan extra budget and related fine to recover performance and return to the top.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Christian Horner Unhappy with 2022 Budget Cap, Calls for Urgent Attention

We are not sure if Wolff is still prepared to do that, but it will be interesting to see how far the Brackley outfit has pushed the 2023 challenger.