Horner tells "not performing" Mercedes to shut it

Reigning F1 World Champions, Red Bull were fined $7-million last season for a 'minor overspend' in 2021, with a further punishment of 10% less wind tunnel time over the year on top of an already reduced amount linked to success on track.

Hamilton, whose team have been playing catch-up since early 2022, said at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Thursday that Red Bull had not received a big punishment while Russell told reporters the penalties "didn't fit the crime" of busting the cap.

Horner bounced back when he told Sky F1 on Friday, in Hungary: "Believe me, the hit that we've taken with the lack of wind tunnel time that we have compared to our competitors is a massive compromise. If wind tunnels don't count then why don't we just get rid of them?

"It's always easy to throw shade when you're not performing. It's one of the things in Formula 1 that will always continue to happen," lamented Horner.

Mercedes won an unprecedented eight F1 constructors' titles in a row until the rules changed for 2022, with Red Bull dominant since then. Hamilton, the sport's most successful driver, has not won a race since 2021.

So far in ten rounds this season, Red Bull have won every race, with double F1 world champion Max Verstappen leading the standings, 99 points clear of teammate Sergio Perez. At the same time, the Blues are chasing a 12th win in a row this weekend, one more than McLaren managed in 1988.

They have won 20 of the last 21 races and arrived at the Hungaroring with an upgraded car sporting changes to the sidepods with shallower radiator intakes, thanks to the work of tech guru Adrian Newey and his team.

Horner added: "I'm just incredibly proud of the job that our team´s doing with the constraints and handicap that we have.

"To be performing at the level we have this year, to have achieved 11 straight victories...it´s been an outstanding achievement," added the RBR boss, whose team is on course for a second successive F1 Constructor's title while their star driver Max Verstappen is within grasp of a third F1 Drivers' crown.