The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) announced today (10/10) that Red Bull violated Formula 1’s cost cap rules last season. According to a related statement from the FIA, the Austrian team’s violation of the $145 million cost ceiling set last year is “minor” and is less than 5% according to Sky Sports. It is worth noting that Red Bull, which was also found “guilty” of a procedural violation of the relevant regulations, is the only team that has exceeded the spending limit.

And this is because Aston Martin was also found “guilty”, however, the British team committed a procedural violation of the cost cap rules, a violation related to the submitted report, because the relevant documents were filled out incorrectly. In addition, the FIA ​​announced, among other things, that Williams “has been in compliance with the financial rules for the 2021 reporting period, barring a previous procedural violation. This procedural violation was subsequently resolved by Williams in a timely, collaborative and transparent manner.”

The FIA ​​continued its statement by emphasizing that a high-cost administration is “currently determining the proper course of action to be taken in accordance with financial regulations”, however according to Sky Sports it is unlikely that any penalty will be meted out to Red Bull. to be strict. A minor violation of the financial rules may result in a financial penalty and/or a minor sporting penalty.

The penalties listed by the FIA ​​include a point deduction from the drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships, a penalty that, if implemented, would affect Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton’s ‘battle’ for last year’s title. Other, more realistic penalties could be a reprimand, a restriction on aerodynamic or other testing, and/or a reduction in the team’s marginal cost in the future.

If Red Bull committed a serious or “substantial” violation of the F1 financial regulations (more than 5%), a points deduction and an emergency removal of the Drivers’ Championship won by Verstappen last year would be more likely. The FIA ​​clarified that there was no “full official investigation” of the violations because it was the first year of the cost cap.

Red Bull’s statement on the FIA’s findings expressed “surprise and disappointment”. He emphasizes that his 2021 spending report was well below the threshold and that he will consider all of his options following the FIA ​​process. Finally, it adds that “we need to take a close look at the FIA’s findings as we remain convinced that the associated costs are below the 2021 cost limit.”

Source: MONKEY BEE