Lewis Hamilton dismisses cost cap penalty as supreme Red Bull return to Austria

Red Bull have won 19 of the last 20 races and are heavy favourites to maintain their winning run this weekend – but Hamilton is unsurprisingly willing to discuss the elephant in the room

For all the success garnered over the last two years, an asterisk has accompanied the Red Bull route to Formula 1 domination. In 2021, Max Verstappen’s dramatic title triumph was shrouded in controversy after the Abu Dhabi fiasco. Last year, their mightily impressive double-title glory was overshadowed by breaching the inaugural F1 cost cap.

This season, entering race nine back at their Red Bull Ring base this weekend with Verstappen holding a 69-point lead in the championship – and even that is from his teammate Sergio Perez – there does not look set to be such a dark cloud forming this time.

The RB19 is perhaps Adrian Newey’s greatest achievement yet. Verstappen’s confidence is at an all-time high, to the extent he joked in real time about a slightly misjudged approach to the kerb in Canada where George Russell had earlier crashed. And when the Dutchman has a rare off-day, perhaps in qualifying, invariably Sergio Perez is there to pick up the first-place trophy instead.

Christian Horner’s team are a pristine, well-oiled machine. They claimed their 100th win in F1 last time out in Montreal. Yet Lewis Hamilton, seven times a world champion and scampering desperately with the other 17 drivers on the grid to catch up, is willing to discuss the elephant in the room.

“The [cost cap] penalty didn’t cost them anything,” Hamilton said, ahead of this weekend’s sprint weekend in Austria.

“It definitely, definitely didn’t. It was so small.” Red Bull were fined £6m and docked 10 per cent of their car development time for their £1.8m overspend, impacting their wind-tunnel runs and simulations.

As emphatic as Hamilton’s assessment is, and many will argue it has a certain degree of accuracy given the scale of Red Bull’s success, the Mercedes man went further as he looks to give himself a fighting chance of a record-breaking eighth title in the not-so-distant future.

"I think the FIA should probably put a time when everyone is allowed to start developing on next year’s car,” he added, referring to Red Bull no longer focusing on their 2023 car such is their current advantage and instead shifting emphasis to 2024.

Lewis Hamilton insists Red Bull’s cost cap penalty has had no impact whatsoever (Getty Images)

“Say August 1, that’s where everybody can start so that no one can get an advantage on the next year, because that sucks.

"It would make more sense. They should. Say for example you start the season and you know you have a bad car, you can just say ‘I’m not going to bother developing this car’ and put all this money into next year’s car and have an advantage."

The idea that the FIA should change the regulations as a result of Red Bull’s dominance has been regularly mooted in recent weeks, whether it be across the paddock or on social media. Short memories, it seems.

For Red Bull’s current all-out supremacy, think Michael Schumacher’s five-in-a-row with Ferrari at the start of the Noughties. Think Lewis Hamilton’s six victories in seven years with Mercedes. Think Sebastian Vettel’s four on the bounce back at Red Bull to kick off the 2010s.

Red Bull claimed their 100th win in F1 last time out in Canada and are heavy favourites this weekend in Austria (Getty)

Periods of domination are commonplace in F1. A framework is set in place; regulations set in stone years in advance. These must remain. A sudden alteration to the rules would be unfair and unsporting.

Despite that, talk of a perfect 22/22 this season is being swiftly dismissed by Red Bull. The runaway leaders are not getting carried away yet.

“At a sprint weekend, so many things can go wrong,” said a typically level-headed Verstappen on Thursday. His teammate Perez was absent, due to illness, but is expected to be fit to drive on Friday.

In Spielberg, the second of six sprint weekends this season – with qualifying for the grand prix on Friday before “sprint day” on Saturday – could ruffle feathers, but Red Bull are massive favourites to take their ninth-straight win of the year at their home track.

Ferrari did win in Austria last year, but have not won since. Mercedes are on a slow road back to the top tier, with a bigger upgrade due next week at Silverstone. If any team is to challenge Red Bull, therefore, it could well be Aston Martin – and their imperious 41-year-old double world champion Fernando Alonso.