F1 News: Toto Wolff Lays Red Bull Down To Die After Questions On Cost Cap - "Biggest Penalty Was The Reputational Hit"
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has spoken out on Red Bull's penalty for exceeding the cost cap, saying they have received enough of a penalty by getting reputational damage as well.
It was revealed earlier this year that Red Bull had been found to exceed the 2021 cost cap. The team were handed a $7 million fine and a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time for the 2023 season. At the time, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner branded the penalties "draconian" but many fans hit back saying the team did not receive enough of a punishment.
During an interview with SwiatWyscigow.pl, Wolff was asked if he was happy with the result of the cost cap breach. He responded highlighting the huge amount of backlash the team received, commenting that nobody will dare risk getting the same reputational damage:
''I think the biggest penalty was not the 10% wind tunnel time [reduction] or the 7 million dollars. I think the biggest penalty was the reputational hit that the team got and in a way it's unfair for the Red Bull mother brand which is fantastic in their field.
"But the racing team has just been having such a reputational hit and also the people. So I think nobody is kind of dare bringing it close to that anymore.''
Mercedes are looking to make a comeback in the 2023 season after falling short of their normal championship-winning performance in 2022. The additional wind tunnel time they will get from coming third in the constructor's championship as opposed to first along with Red Bull's reduction in this, will hopefully help propel them further into a more competitive position.
Red Bull dominated throughout the 2022 season with Max Verstappen winning his second driver's championship and the team taking the constructor's championship at the Austin Grand Prix. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez was fighting for second place in the driver's championship until the end against Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, but ended up coming in third.