Aston Martin boss appears to call out Christian Horner over budget cap

Horner opens up on Red Bull's 'barren spell' amid Mercedes dominance

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Aston Martin boss Mike Krack has appeared to accuse Christian Horner of “running to the media” after becoming dissatisfied with a budget cap decision. The 2022 F1 budget cap was increased at the Austrian Grand Prix in a bid to curb fears over inflation.

At the race in Spielberg, teams signed off on a 3.1 per cent increase on the £113.5million ($140m) allowance. The slight increase was agreed by nine of the ten teams with Alpine thought to be the only one voting against the changes.

However, Krack seemed to hint Red Bull were also dissatisfied after seemingly slamming Horner for his actions after the meeting. Talking about the incident, Krack told Sport 1: “I admit, I was surprised by the small details reported in Formula One. And how the media is often used to do politics.

“A team boss ran to the media immediately afterwards and lamented that the increase wasn’t high enough.”

“I’d rather talk about the sport instead. The fans are interested in lap times, less in budgets or underbodies that are too flexible. But maybe I’m not enough of a politician. One thing is certain: you shouldn’t overestimate all of this and always have to keep calm.”

Horner was the most vocal in calling for budget caps to be increased to ensure teams could survive. Back in the summer, the Red Bull boss warned as many as seven team bosses could miss the last four races unless budget rules were increased.

After the meeting, Horner criticised the decision, claiming that bigger teams needed extra funds in order to survive.

DON’T MISS
Red Bull were forced to axe 154 staff members after budget cap rules [INSIGHT]
Christian Horner moans about penalty as FIA back Red Bull into corner [ANALYSIS]
Mercedes and Red Bull accused of exploiting F1 budget cap loophole [COMMENT]

He commented “It’s not enough for us, and it’s too much for the little ones. So it’s a compromise, and a consensus was found in the end. We’re going to have to do everything that we can.”

Red Bull were found guilty of breaking F1’s budget cap rules by £432,000 ($500,000) in 2021. The team were hit with a financial and sporting penalty for breaking the cap which could have ramifications for next season.

Their biggest punishment is a 10 per cent reduction in wind tunnel testing which Horner said was a “draconian” measure. The Red Bull boss stressed the penalty could cost the team half a second per lap next season.

Source: Read Full Article