Red Bull is efficient with the budget that the team is allowed to spend on developing the car. That is what Max Verstappen says in the run-up to the Spanish Grand Prix this weekend.
“We are one of the best teams in cost control and that is important because there is a budget cap. Really, there is still enough in the tank to improve the car,” said the world champion at the track in Barcelona.
140 million dollars
Formula 1 teams have up to $140 million to spend this year on improvements to their racing cars. Red Bull has made a lot of adjustments since the first race and has therefore made up for the difference in speed with Ferrari. The Italian car was significantly faster in the first three races of the season, but Red Bull had the upper hand in the last two races. “We are just good at correcting mistakes. But we can always do better. Increasing reliability is still our main focus,” said Verstappen.
Heat
The Dutchman expects to be at the front again in the Grand Prix of Spain. “Normally we do well here. We have a fast car that also performs well in the heat. But of course we have to wait and see what ‘upgrades’ other teams come up with. We’ll see, I’m quite relaxed about it. a long season in which it will always be about the development of the car.”
Aerodynamic package
Ferrari comes for the race at Circuit de Catalunya with a strongly renewed aerodynamic package, which should bring the car closer to Red Bull. Team boss Mattia Binotto said it is the first ‘upgrade’ of this season. “I hope that at some point Red Bull will have to stop developing because of the budget cap, because we don’t have the money to make adjustments for every single race,” he told motorsport.com.
Verstappen won the last two races and is still 19 points behind Ferrari World Cup leader Charles Leclerc in the World Cup standings. The race in Spain is the sixth of the year.
Also read: Pitlane: Do Ferrari updates throw a spanner in the works for Verstappen?