Red Bull increases budget for 2020

Red Bull has upped its budget for 2020.

Recently, Ferrari said that ahead of the $175 million budget cap for 2021, the Maranello team would spend more to prepare this year.

Red Bull is following suit.

"The increase is within limits," Dr Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. "We are already very well organised in terms of structure.

"If the budget cap hadn’t come, we would have budgeted differently. But the fact that it comes means you need everything you have."

Marko revealed that the pre-budget cap situation in 2020 means that Red Bull has effectively been set up into "three teams".

"One is responsible for the current car, another for 2021. The third is for the 18-inch tyres," he said.

And the team working on the current car has already been very busy, with Marko saying "only the paint" will be the same on the 2020 car when it re-emerges after winter testing in Melbourne.

Honda has also been working hard, he added: "We should have a qualifying mode now."

Official testing kicks off in Barcelona on Wednesday, but Red Bull’s 2020 car has already been shaken down at Silverstone.

"Everything worked," Marko told Auto Bild. "Our aspiration is to be competitive right from the start. Adrian Newey finished earlier than ever and all the signs are good."