Red Bull boss reveals 'underhand' tactics by rivals during the cost cap saga

Christian Horner revealed how rivals played tactics to defame Red Bull during the cost cap saga last season, which pushed their sponsors on the edge to part ways with the team. The team has been fastest on the grid since 2022 and has still dominated the first two races of the 2023 season, however, after they won the 2021 season, something new came to light.

The cost cap was used in Formula 1 for the first time in the 2021 season with expectations to make the sport more competitive. However, during the report of the same in 2022, it was found out that Red Bull had breached the cap by 1.6% and were asked to pay $7 million as a fine with a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time.

While the team received major backlash from fans, Christian Horner, the RB team principal, revealed that rival teams had started luring Red Bull's sponsors and partners to pull back from the team to save their reputation, which he described as an 'underhand' tactic. Horner said (via PlanetF1):

"It tainted us. These things get used by your rivals. We had one of them contacting our sponsors and partners making suggestions that we would be bringing their brands into disrepute. That was just underhand."

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Will Red Bull continue to dominate in 2023 despite the reduction in their wind tunnel time?

It comes as no surprise that Red Bull have continued their domination from 2022 to this season, with more ease given they are not in direct danger from any of the teams.

While this might keep the team quite relaxed as Max Verstappen or Sergio Perez could have a shot at another title, Horner believes that perhaps a new technical directive or something similar could slow the team down because other teams are also focused on slowing them down. Horner said (via PlanetF1):

"There is always something, always a technical directive that drops, a game changer. You can guarantee that the others will be scheming, ‘how can we slow them down’. It’s part of the game. Having lived through it before you become more seasoned in how to ride it out."

With the current results, however, there doesn't seem to be any danger for Red Bull. Sergio Perez won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with his teammate finishing up in second. The team and both drivers sit at the top of the standings, and this is indeed a dream start for them.