Despite a faultless season on the track, Red Bull was plagued with drama off of it. There was the tiff between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. However, the headline dominating story was Red Bull’s overspending in the 2021 season. Red Bull’s overspending in 2021 allowed them to develop a far superior car for 2022. Most teams struggled with the revised regulations, whereas RB18 cruised past the competition. Red Bull was punished for their budget cap infringement, but the FIA could not undo the advantage. This is exactly what the fans pointed out when Verstappen expressed his delight over the RB19.

The FIA handed RBR a fine and reduced time in the wind tunnel as a punishment for overspending in 2021, which wasn’t severe enough according to most. However, the damage is already done as the team started working on their 2022 challenger in 2021. This, the fans pointed out, was the obvious point of Red Bull’s superiority over the other teams.

The trickle-down effect of the 2021 overspending is also being seen in the RB19. Verstappen’s appreciation, when asked about it by Sky Sports, of the RB19, showcased just that.

He said, “I think this year again the car came really nicely together. Once we put it out on track, it was working well. We had a good balance so that also shows that throughout the winter all the preparation we were doing on the simulator it was very accurate. So, of course, I’m very happy with that.”

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The fans who are not part of Verstappen’s orange army are pointing out the obvious and showcasing their disappointment.

Fans showcase their disappointment over the lenient budget cap penalty handing Max Verstappen a dominant car once again

Red Bull fans have much to celebrate as the RB19 is showing promising signs. However, on the flip side. There are fans who are pointing out how overspending in 2021 is handing RBR an advantage in 2023 as well.

The fans are also calling out the FIA for handing out a lenient punishment. Whereas some fans are digging up old graves and tweeting, “Is this the cost cap guy or the race director won his championship for him guy?”

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The orange army is already predicting/celebrating another dominant year from the Dutchman. However, fans who do not support the Dutchman are calling out the authorities for letting the overspending slide.

Do you think overspending in 2021 is giving Red Bull an added advantage even in 2023?