“They have an unfair advantage”: McLaren boss wants $4 million deduction in Red Bull’s 2023 car development

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has called for the FIA to limit the cost cap for Red Bull in their developments for the 2023 car.

Over the last few weeks, Red Bull’s alleged breach of the cost cap has been the biggest news in F1. The fact that they crossed the $145 million mark has infuriated the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari, who want them to be punished.

However, the FIA has still not revealed what the extent of the punishment will be (if any). Red Bull insists that they have not breached any cap but the governing bodies have found them guilty of overspending by $2 million. This has been branded as a ‘minor breach’, but the other teams feel that it played a huge difference.

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— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) October 10, 2022

McLaren’s Zak Brown joined the other team bosses in demanding a harsh penalty. Brown sent a letter to the FIA’s president Mohammed ben Sulayem and also forwarded a copy of it to the other teams who did not break the cap.

Also read: Red Bull & Max Verstappen will lose more than points for exceeding $2 million in budget; claims ex F1 supremo

Zak Brown wants Red Bull’s budget to decrease by $4 million

According to BBC, Brown clearly states that Red Bull cheated, so they should be dealt with accordingly. While he does want them to get a financial penalty, he admits that it alone won’t be enough.

Brown called for the FIA to impose sporting penalties on Red Bull. This can be done by docking points off the Championship table, or by even limiting their development for 2023.

“[and] the penalty should be equal to the overspend plus a further fine – ie an overspend of $2m in 2021, would result in a $4m deduction in 2023 $2m to offset the overspend plus $2m fine).”

— deni (@fiagirly) October 17, 2022

Talking about financial penalties, the American feels that a $4 million deduction from their overall budget from next year would be fair.

“The penalty should be equal to the overspend plus a further fine,” he said. “An overspend of $2m in 2021, would result in a $4m deduction in 2023. $2m to offset the overspend plus $2m fine.”

Also read: Lewis Hamilton re-designed $100,000 Mercedes’ F1 steering wheel

Which team other than Red Bull overspent this year?

Red Bull was not the only team to break the cost cap this year. However, they were by far the biggest over spenders which has led to so much controversy. The likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Alpine were all within limits.

Aston Martin and Williams, meanwhile, did spend more. Their breach, however, was deemed procedural. Williams were fined $25,000 early into the season. The FIA did not announce a penalty for Aston Martin yet, but it’s expected to be similar.