The FIA has completed its review of the budget cap for the 2021 Formula 1 (F1) season and it confirmed that the Red Bull rumours doing the rounds ahead of the Japanese GP last week were indeed true.
According to Italian media publications this past week, Red Bull transgressed on the budget cap last season. Comments from Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton then fuelled rumours of potential overspending on their competitor’s part.
“Is it a so-called minor breach, because I think the word is probably not correct?” said Wolff.
“If you’re spending five million more, and you’re still in the minor breach, it still has a big impact on the championship. We know exactly that we’re spending three and a half million a year in parts that we bring to the car. So then you can see what difference it makes to spend another $500,000. It would be a difference.”
Lewis Hamilton meanwhile reflected on their own season, and Mercedes’s ability to add upgrades to their car.
“What I can say is I remember last year in Silverstone we had our last upgrade and fortunately it was great and we could fight with it,” Hamilton said ahead of the weekend at the Suzuka Circuit.
“But then we would see Red Bull every weekend or every other weekend bringing upgrades. They had, I think, at least four more upgrades from that point.”
What did the FIA find?
Red Bull is just one of three teams found to have breached the cost cap during the 2021 F1 season. They also confirmed that Aston Martin and Williams were guilty parties. However, while Aston Martin and Williams are guilty of “procedural” breaches, Red Bull have “procedural and minor overspend breaches”.
Procedural breaches can include an array of possibilities. From late submissions, failure to submit interim documents, and submitting paperwork deemed inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading.
The FIA reportedly found that Red Bull went over the Budget Cap by less than 5%. That means that Red Bull spent a possible $7.25m more than their competitors.
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 10, 2022
Cost cap?
2021 was the first season where teams had to stick to a set budget cap. The FIA introduced the cap in an effort to narrow the gap between the top teams and the bottom feeders. Teams could only spend $145million throughout the course of the season.
For the 2022 season, the cap dropped to $140m and will drop by a further $5m for the 2023 season.
Teams who complied with the cap will be issued certificates and those who don’t will be sanctioned.
What could the sanction be?
When the budget cap came into effect, F1 director Ross Brawn was stern in warning teams. According to Brawn, they could strip teams of a championship title should they go over the allocated budget cap.
The FIA is yet to confirm sanctions for the three teams, but since the governing body sees Red Bull’s transgression as a minor breach, it is expected that the team will be handed a fine.
Possible penalties include a fine; public reprimand; deduction of Constructors’ Championship points or Drivers’ Championship points; suspension from one or more stages of a season, such as qualifying; Aerodynamic testing capability reduced; or reduction in future cost cap limits.
A deserved champion
While it is unlikely that Max Verstappen would be stripped of his 2021 title, his 2022 title is already secure.
Verstappen is an extremely talented young driver. The 25-year-old will most probably break a few records before taking off his helmet for good.
Max is already on course to break a record set by Michael Schumacher in 2004. 04 was a magnificent year for the Ferrari legend, where he stood atop the podium thirteen times in a season of 18 races.
It is a record equalled by Sebastian Vettel in 2013 in his Red Bull, where there was 19 Grand Prix held.
Quite the Suzuka send off for Seb ❤️😢#JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/HNRVPv4FDp
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 10, 2022
While the 2022 F1 season has five more races on the calendar than the 2004 season, The Red Bull drivers’ current win tally of 12 is an impressive feat, and with four race weekends to go, it’s highly likely that Max could better the record.
Champion sportsmanship 🤜🤛#JapaneseGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/PgVePN6dgW
— Formula 1 (@F1) October 10, 2022
The races that remain include the United States GP in Austin, Texas; Mexican GP in Mexico City; Brazilian GP in Sao Paulo; and the Abu Dhabi GP in the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
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