Red Bull, according to Christian Horner, "firmly had a target" on its back in Formula 1 this season due to the numerous off-track political conflicts the team encountered.
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In 2022, Red Bull won both championships thanks in large part to Max Verstappen, who set a record by winning a record 15 races in a row to win his second drivers’ championship. With two victories, Sergio Perez placed third overall and helped Red Bull win the constructors’ championship with three races remaining. Red Bull’s season, however, was not without its challenges, chief among them being the $7 million punishment and 12-month suspension of its aerodynamic testing that it got for exceeding the budget cap from the previous year.
In response to the porpoising issue, the team also opposed changes to the aerodynamic regulations for 2023, reasoning that the lobbying regarding the issues was being done to support a “certain team.” When asked by Motorsport.com if the political climate in 2022 had been one of the most challenging he had experienced in Formula 1, Horner responded, “Off-track, we’ve clearly had a bullseye on our back this year. “We compete as a team. We are not a political group. We simply concentrate on competing and, as hard racers who constantly push the envelope, we do what successful race teams do. That has always been our strategy. For us, it’s always worked out beautifully. It’s how we like to compete. This year has been challenging at times. Unfortunately, that’s Formula 1.
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After suffering three DNFs in the first three races, including a double retirement at the season’s opening race in Bahrain, Red Bull had a sluggish start to the year. To dominate the second half of the season, the team eventually pulled away in the development race after bouncing back in the battle against Ferrari. Red Bull’s 1-2 finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in April, in Horner’s opinion, was a crucial opportunity to put pressure on Ferrari, which had quickly taken the lead in both championships. After a double DNF in Bahrain, where Ferrari finished 1-2, Horner said, “Our team has done an amazing job of recovering with such a competitive car.”
We never lost sight of our goal, and by the time we arrived in Imola, winning the sprint and the grand prix with our first 1-2 finish of the year allowed us to put pressure back on Ferrari and prevent them from getting a break. “We simply continued successfully creating the automobile while managing to shed a little weight. Additionally, Max has had an incredible year. When you reflect on some of the races from earlier this year, including Miami, Saudi Arabia, and even Bahrain, you will recall how close the early Ferrari races were. “This season has been fantastic for us,”
