Helmut Marko claims that the 10% reduction in permitted aero testing will put Red Bull at an "enormous disadvantage".

It is the 10% reduction in aero testing that Christian Horner referred to as "Draconian", the Briton claiming that this represents "anywhere between 0.25s and 0.5s of lap time".

Marko agrees, believing that the reduction will put the world champions on the back foot.

"The penalty is tough," he tells Sky Deutschland. "It's just about the limit where we believe we can be competitive in the years to come despite the restrictions in the hours dedicated to wind tunnel.

"It's an enormous competitive disadvantage," he adds. "Our wind tunnel is one of the first to be built. In terms of the turnaround time and the sensitivity to heat, we need even longer before we can find the right temperature as it's not state of the art. We can't miss a shot. What we take into the wind tunnel has to work. We can't afford to make any mistakes."

"Fundamentally it means we are going to have less runs in a simulation tools, primarily the wind tunnel," said Horner. "That means that the funnel of ideas that you can apply to the development of your car is going to be much more restricted.

"We are going to have to pick and choose what we want to test and what we want to run in the limited wind tunnel time that we have."

Horner had used Friday's press conference to describe the Red Bull wind tunnel, which was previously used by Arrows and Jaguar, as a "relic", which will surely come as a surprise to the team's rivals.

"We operate out of a windtunnel that is actually a listed building," he said, "it's a relic of the Cold War. It's not a state-of-the-art windtunnel that our competitors enjoy. It was built in the 1950s and it has its own limitations when it's either too cold or too hot at getting the conditions and the operating temperature at that tunnel to the right temperature. So therefore, a penalty like this is hugely draconian."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Sam 66, 30/10/2022 18:02

"Looking at Horner's comments on their "relic" of a wind tunnel, you have to wonder why the aerodynamic genius, Newey, didn't insist on a new one. Maybe though it's old, it's very good"

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2. Posted by Wokingchap, 30/10/2022 13:25

"I rather hope it does put them at 'an enormous disadvantage', as much as to ballance the advantage gained to win last year's championship."

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3. Posted by Defiant, 29/10/2022 19:54

"blah blah blah Marko. "

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4. Posted by rambler, 29/10/2022 19:30

"The fine has to be paid within 30 days. I don't think it comes out of the budget cap for this year. That's my take on the fine. As Ferrari say the Aero reduction is nothing, the money saved can be spent on lighter components or development in other areas. I would expect that most of the work has been completed on next years car. So no problems there. I see this as little more than going through the motions so it would appear that something was done."

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5. Posted by Sam 66, 29/10/2022 19:01

"With the cost of energy at the moment, how much will RB save with a 10% reduction of wind tunnel testing that can be invested in other areas?"

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6. Posted by KKK, 29/10/2022 16:51

"Oh dear, oh dear. Prob is you got caught. Be grateful that it was only a fine. I beleive that the cost cap that apples to Red Bull for next year should be taken down by $7m . Now that would be a fair penalty"

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7. Posted by Lapps, 29/10/2022 16:20

"One interesting aspect is if Red Bull have to pay the $7 million from their next years Budget Cap? That would be very significant. If not, we’ll a fine is not really a disincentive to overspending for a cash flush Team is it?"

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Red Bull put at enormous disadvantage, says Marko

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