Red Bull and Max Verstappen will be forced to deal with a reduction in testing time throughout the 2023 season.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has offered a glimpse into the team’s long-term future in Formula One as Max Verstappen gears up for another Drivers’ Championship battle next year. The Dutchman managed to secure his second triumph in as many seasons at the end of the 2022 campaign but could be up against it as he looks to make it a hat-trick next time around, with the FIA having punished Red Bull for a breach of their budget cap rules in 2021.
The Austrian team will be forced to deal with a 10 per cent reduction in wind tunnel time in 2023, which could put them at a disadvantage in comparison to the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes over the course of the year. The death of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz went on to follow the FIA’s ruling in October, fuelling rumours that the team may decide to pull out of F1 in the not-too-distant future.
However, Marko has since insisted that Red Bull are going nowhere any time soon as they aim for another successful campaign next year in spite of their reduction in testing hours and the absence of Mateschitz, who co-founded the company and spearheaded their introduction into motorsport.
“There is no need to worry that Red Bull will disappear from Formula One in the near future,” said Marko when quizzed on the team’s long-term prospects.
“We are far from finished with our mission. We want to win more races and titles. I’m not really worried [about the budget cap punishment]. We are on the right track for 2023 and with Max we have the best driver in the field.”
Red Bull were quick to appoint three new managers after the death of Mateschitz, with former RB Leipzig CEO Oliver Mintzlaff among the figures expected to lead them into the 2023 campaign and beyond. Marko went on to explain how although there has been little dialogue between the team and their new bosses in recent weeks, he has no lingering concerns over their continued future in the paddock.
