F1 Round Up: Red Bull to trims junior team; Ferrari's budget cap woes; call for cost cap reform

Red Bull to reduce junior driver count

Red Bull Team Principal, Christian Horner, recently announced a shakeup in the team's approach to driver development.

Reputed for bringing a plethora of youthful talent into F1, Red Bull is now focusing on quality over quantity.

"We have a lot of drivers in Formula 2 this year, I think that will be thinned out moving forward," Horner revealed on the ESPN Podcast.

“Daniel [Ricciardo] is a graduate of it. Carlos Sainz is a graduate of it. Pierre Gasly is a graduate of it. There’s so many drivers it’s given opportunity to and got to Formula 1. Alex Albon being another."

“And yeah, it’s focusing a bit more on youth I think going forward as well. We have a lot of drivers in Formula 2 this year, I think that will be thinned out moving forward and perhaps a refocus on perhaps some of the lower formulas as well."

This signals a shift from a broad talent pipeline, where seven Red Bull drivers currently compete in the premier feeder series, towards a more concentrated talent pool.

The move comes amidst questions surrounding the effectiveness of Red Bull's development programme.

After bypassing the academy to enlist Sergio Perez and later Nyck de Vries, the Red Bull junior ranks have been under scrutiny.

Despite these strategic changes, the program’s success is undeniable, having spawned champions like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

Sainz: Budget cap prevents Ferrari from fixing 2023 F1 Car flaws

On the Scuderia front, Carlos Sainz offered an unfiltered assessment of Ferrari's performance.

Failing to secure a win and with only three podium finishes, the team's fluctuating form has been a cause for concern.

Sainz admitted to being frustrated by Red Bull's dominance and the intense mid-field competition.

The former McLaren driver is now advocating for a shift in perspective, urging the team to focus on maximising performance each weekend, rather than gunning for unlikely victories.

“Well, the direction and the idea is very clear and everyone’s heading in Ferrari and now we are pushing flat out back in the factory to change that,” he addressed.

“It’s just that during a year, it is quite tricky, especially in [the] budget era. It’s quite tricky to suddenly change everything, but the direction has been given and we are now back in the factory, in the simulator, developing that car and trying to make amends, [to not] do what we did this year."

Despite this, Sainz expressed optimism for the team's 2024 challenger, assuring that the development back in the factory is on track to rectify the current car's weaknesses.

Sky F1's Crofty urges F1 to change cost cap model

The third prong of our F1 news trident is the debate surrounding the current cost cap procedure.

Sky F1 commentator, David Croft, believes the FIA could benefit from simplifying this system, which, he argued, is so convoluted that hardly anyone "truly understands" it.

Croft's solution is to establish a fixed cost cap inclusive of all expenditures, making it simpler for teams and fans alike.

“Staff recruitment is being affected by it, because teams just can’t pay the money that businesses outside of Formula 1 can pay, because the cost cap isn’t going up and inflation is quite high."

“There is a brain drain as it were in Formula 1 with people leaving the sport to go and work elsewhere.

“I just think it’s being managed badly as well. Why are we waiting a whole year to have the auditors bring out the results? Do it quarter by quarter, so teams know what’s going on and can make adjustments."

However, this suggestion has been met with some resistance. Former F1 driver Karun Chandhok, while agreeing with the need for a cost cap, contested Croft's claims that the cap prevents competitive salaries, arguing that F1 personnel still enjoy a premium compared to other industries.