Marko critical: "You have to make it so the driver goes straight off the track"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Due to the budget cap, Formula 1 teams have to be more economical with their equipment than they are used to. This became painfully clear after Valtteri Bottas' crash in Imola, which hit the Mercedes team hard financially. But several teams, including Red Bull Racing, also complained during the race weekend in France.
Complaints about yellow 'buns' at Paul Ricard
The high yellow kerbs, also known as 'buns', caused damage to the floor and front wing of Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas, among others. Engineers from both teams could then be heard in radio communication with Michael Masi, complaining about the kerbs. The damage could run up to a tonne.
Masi waved the complaints away, however, arguing, "They were there in 2019 too." However, the budget cap did not apply then, and Helmut Marko, among others, is therefore unhappy about the fact that the kerbs in question are still there. "It's a mess," says Red Bull's top advisor in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport. "You have to make limits where the driver goes straight off the track, like a gravel trap."
Marko is not the only one critical of the yellow kerbs. Aston Martin team principal Otmar Szafnauer and Haas team principal Guenther Steiner are also critical of the solution. "I am not a fan of a solution that leads to damage to the cars," says Szafnauer. Steiner's criticism is of a similar nature. "It's not constructive to have kerbs that destroy cars," the Haas team boss said.