Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto expressed concern about the quantity of enhancements made by Red Bull despite F1 budget cap restrictions.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen won the inaugural Miami Grand Prix by leapfrogging both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz throughout the 57-lap race, reducing the championship deficit to just 19 points from the championship leader.
However, compared to Ferrari, which has pursued a different approach, Red Bull has made modest improvements throughout the season.
F1 Teams must develop their new generation of vehicles within budget cap restrictions this season, with a maximum spend of $140 million allowed, excluding some aspects such as driver salaries.
“I would say, at first, it is not because I don’t think that the difference is huge. It is a matter of a maximum of a couple of tenths in the race,” Binotto clarified on whether Red Bull’s quick growth was a cause for concern.
“We should not forget that we locked out the front row, so in quali we had a better performance compared to the Red Bull.”
“So overall, on a weekend, I don’t think that there is much difference between the Red Bull and the Ferrari.”
However, Binotto clarified where he was concerned: “It is how much they are developing considering the budget cap.”
“That is certainly a concern I have got but more than a concern, maybe it is a hope because at some stage they will need to stop.”
This season, F1 implemented new regulations to provide more interesting racing, but as with any new rulebook, growth throughout the course of the season will be just as vital as getting off to a fast start.
Binotto, however, insisted that the Scuderia could not reproduce Red Bull’s upgrade trend so far.
“We do not have the money to bring upgrades to each single race, I think that is as simple as that,” he said.
“Not because of reliability, but because of the budget cap. So we need to somehow focus the developments on when we believe it is the right moment and the right spending.”
