Red Bull and major competitors 'punished' for good performance

Formula 1 has been operating a handicap system since the 2022season on aero testing, where the most successful teams aredisadvantaged in the development of their cars outside raceweekends. Known as the Aerodynamic Test Restrictions (ATRs), F1teams are restricted to less time in their wind tunnels and usingComputational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). This means they are forced todevelop their cars at a slower pace than teams lower down in thechampionship. The hope is that it will lead to greater competitionon track, as those at the back will have more time to develop theircar. As part of the ATR rules, during six periods of eight weeks inone year, first in the Constructors' Championship is only allowedto run only 70% of the number of wind tunnel hours and perform 70%of the number of simulations. By contrast, the team sitting tenthin the standings may run 115% of the number of established runs andperform simulations. Per ATR period, 320 runs and 2,000 simulationsis the base number of 100%. This means that first may only make 224runs and run 1,400 simulations, while tenth is allowed 368 runs perperiod and 2,300 simulations. Red Bull remains the same, yet alsonot the same As of 1st January, the new distribution took effect.This is reviewed at least twice a year based on the championshipstandings; on December 31 and June 30. In the following six monthsthe teams are allowed to spend X number of hours in the wind tunnelor perform X number of simulations. If you perform well on track,you are penalised because you are allowed fewer hours. For thedistribution as of 1st January, only the final standings of theConstructors' Championship in 2023 are looked at, not the number ofpoints. As champions, Red Bull is allowed the fewest runs at 70%.Until the end of October last year it was 63% because Red Bullstill had to serve a penalty for exceeding the budget cap in 2021,so this is an improvement on their recent allowance. McLaren andFerrari 'penalized', Aston Martin benefits Aside from Red Bull,Mercedes and Alpine remain at the same level compared to theprevious six months, but a number of competitors are moving eitherup or down. Among the top teams, McLaren and Ferrari take a stepforward at the expense of Aston Martin. Fernando Alonso's team gotoff to a rock-solid start in 2023, but dropped back in the last sixmonths. This is reflected in the table below. The same goes forHaas and Alfa Romeo, as they too dropped two places back, but itdoes mean a nice number of extra hours in the wind tunnel. Fortheir part, the midfield teams suffering the negative consequencesof their 'success' are AlphaTauri and Williams having moved up twospots in the last six months. Check below the poll for the newdistribution (as of January 1st 2024). What do you think of theseF1 rules? New distribution wind tunnel time and simulations