Red Bull will not be allowed to spend as much time working on their car next season due to the current regulations.
These days, there is a sliding scale imposed by the FIA that gradually limits teams’ ability to use the wind tunnel and simulate aerodynamic efficiency.
The higher up the Constructors’ Standings a team is, the less time they will have to develop their car, and vice versa.
To some extent, those new rules have already been imposed, as the mid-season point of 2022 defined when teams could start using their new allocation.
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For example, Red Bull were given less for the second half of the year because they are leading the Constructors’ Standings, while Mercedes have more developmental time due to the fact that they have slipped from first to third.
Along with the $145 million budget cap, this rule is designed to give the smaller teams, with smaller budgets, a chance to compete more closely with the big hitters.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have won 12 races between them this year, and they now comfortably lead both championships going into the final six rounds of the year.
It will naturally be more difficult to hold that dominance next year though, because the Austrian team will not have as much time to test, develop and improve their car in 2023.
“Next year we have some rule changes and we have less resources than our rivals in terms of aerodynamics or hours of wind tunnel and CFD use because of our results in the Constructors’ Championship,” explained chief engineer, Paul Monaghan.
“I could counter-argue that we have the best people in our factory, but that’s perhaps a bit of an egocentric view.
“So, I’m not sure that this year’s performance can be carried over to 2023, I can’t say that the home straight of this season will be beneficial for us next year.
“We have to move at least at the pace of our rivals, we have to manage the rule changes for floor edge height well, as well as the change in stiffness, trying to lose less than our rivals or at least the same amount.”
As a result of the reduction in hours, there is natural ambiguity in Milton Keynes as to whether they can replicate this year’s success next term.
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“Obviously I think we will still be competitive next year, but if the question is whether we can repeat what we’re doing right now, I’m not sure,” added Monaghan.
“We’ll do the best job we can with some of the best people in the pitlane, and then we’ll judge what we’ve been able to do after one, two or three races, won’t we?”
Verstappen could get the Drivers’ Championship sealed up as early as the Singapore Grand Prix, after which five races of the season will still remain.