As “Red Bull” aims to maintain their winning streak in Hungary, their closest rivals, “Mercedes” and “Ferrari,” acknowledge being behind the “Milton Keynes-based” team. Limited by budget constraints, major updates from both teams showed encouraging progress but fell short of the extensive changes needed to challenge “Red Bull.” With the cost cap restricting their 2023 developments, both teams are already looking to the future, planning for more significant improvements in 2024 when the cost cap figures reset. However, they remain committed to ongoing development this season to strike a balance between the present and the next season’s potential.
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“Asked how much their development in 2023 has been limited,” “Ferrari” team boss “Fred Vasseur” said: “The main reason for that is the cost limit, you can’t do a new project like you probably did a few years ago. That means you have to adapt your project to the situation, and I think we’ve taken a reasonable step forward in this situation. You also have to consider that the rule is much more decisive than before and it is quite difficult to make a big step during the season. But we, like everyone, are already working on next year’s project and trying to improve the direction.”
“Mercedes” team principal “Toto Wolff” added: “I agree with Fred. The cost limit is now a real limit. Because you can’t just buy a B-type car.”
“Lewis [Hamilton]and George [Russell] have been quite vocal about what they would like to change in the car and it’s just not possible because we don’t have the financial corridor. And that is why we are waiting for next year to change these things.”
While changes are limited this season, there will be more opportunities for bolder improvements for 2024 when the cost cap numbers reset. But while Wolff said there will be more thorough tuning of the car next year, he says the team doesn’t want to completely abandon all efforts this season.
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“When I asked Niki [Lauda] many years ago, what do you want to focus on: this year’s championship and winning it or next year’s? He would say both,” explained Wolff. “So I think the continued development of these cars is important for our understanding. At the same time, you can’t waste resources if you go to a car with a different layout next year, for example. So, it balances it out. But I think a lot of teams are already a pretty big part of the development next year.
Featured Image Credit: : FIA Pool
