Red Bull exceeded $145m cost cap by less than 5%; The FIA has yet to reveal the exact amount or penalty; potential penalties range from reprimand to deduction of points, but are unlikely to be severe; Mercedes and Ferrari fumed about the spending
By Matt Morlidge
Last update: 10/10/22 4:40 p.m.
Red Bull has been found in “minor” breach of the Formula 1 cost cap, the FIA has confirmed.
As reported by Sky Sports News last week Red Bull exceeded last season’s $145m cap by less than five per cent, although an exact figure has not been revealed by the F1 governing body.
Red Bull are the only team to exceed the cap, with only Aston Martin having made a “procedural” error.
F1’s governing FIA said “the cost cap administration is currently determining the appropriate course of action to be taken under the financial regulations”, but Sky Sports News understand that the punishment will probably not be severe.
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With rumors suggesting that Red Bull has exceeded cost cap budgets over the past two years, can the FIA control this effectively?
A minor violation of the financial regulations may result in a financial sanction and/or minor sporting sanctions.
The penalties listed by the FIA include a deduction of drivers’ and constructors’ championship points, which if applied could impact the 2021 title battle between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, and a suspension.
Other, more realistic penalties could be a reprimand, a limitation to perform aerodynamic or other tests, and/or a reduction in that team’s future cost cap limit.
The results were finally released on Monday after a delay amid intense speculation over which teams had failed to comply and by how much.
Had Red Bull committed a major or ‘material’ breach of F1’s financial regulations, a points deduction and extraordinary stripping of Verstappen’s title from last year would have been more likely.
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Red Bull boss Christian Horner has said he is ‘unaware’ of any breach of F1’s budget cap during the 2021 season. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has said so. described as a “heavyweight” problem
The FIA said no “full formal investigation” had been launched into the breaches because it was the first year of the cost cap.
Aston Martin’s breach, of a procedural nature, relates to the failure to complete the forms correctly. Williams was also found guilty of this and fined $25,000 earlier this year.
F1’s first ‘heavy’ cost cap breach
The budget cap debuted in 2021 after it was first revealed by F1 and motorsport chief Ross Brawn in 2019.
“It has teeth,” Brawn said at the time. “If you fraudulently violate the financial regulations, you will lose your championship.”
It was rumored during the Singapore GP weekend that two teams failed to meet the F1 budget cap, with the paddock convinced that Red Bull and Aston Martin were the teams in question.
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Lewis Hamilton has questioned upgrades to the Red Bull 2021 car amid unproven claims they have exceeded the spending limit, with the FIA set to reveal whether any teams have exceeded the budget cap on Monday
While Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said it was an “open secret” and demanded action, Red Bull and Aston Martin vehemently denied the charges.
Red Bull boss Christian Horner called the claims “fictional” and remained adamant about his team’s innocence at the Japanese GP.
“We feel we have absolutely complied with the cost cap, the regulations,” he told Sky Sports F1. “We are satisfied with our submission and await feedback.”
Red Bull has yet to comment on being found guilty of breaching the cost cap.
Red Bull’s main rivals Mercedes and Ferrari have both called for “severe action” for any breaches that may have impacted performance.
“The crucial part is if you got through 2021 then you got through 2022 and that means you have an advantage in 2023,” Wolff said. “While it’s true that they formulated a lightweight chassis this year, they could use it next year, so it’s really a cascade of events that can affect all three championships.
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says Red Bull is under investigation after Christian Horner remained adamant that Red Bull had not exceeded the cost cap
“He’s a heavyweight, he’s massively a heavyweight.”
Hamilton, who lost to Verstappen by just eight points in a fierce and incredible title fight, argued ahead of the Japanese GP that the championship could have been decided by spending more money.
“What I can say is I remember last year at Silverstone we had our last upgrade and luckily it was great and we could fight with it,” said Hamilton, s speaking ahead of this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix.
“But then we were seeing Red Bull making improvements every weekend or every other weekend. They had, I think, at least four more improvements from then on.
“If we had spent £300,000 on a new floor or fitted a wing, that naturally would have changed the outcome of the championship as we would have been in better competition in the next race if you added it.
“So I hope that’s not the case. I believe that Mohammed [Ben Sulayem, FIA president] and the FIA will do the right thing with whatever it finds out.”
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