“$5 Million not a minor breach” – Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff on Red Bull’s budget breach cover-up

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff claims Red Bull’s budget cap breach should not be considered minor as it has long-term consequences on the Championship battle.

Toto Wolff has aimed Christian Horner and Red Bull. The Austrian has been the most vocal critique of reports suggesting Red Bull violated the FIA’s 2021 Budget cap

Red Bull has exceeded the $145 Million limit by at least $10 Million as per reports. And the Mercedes Boss has urged the FIA to take investigate this matter thoroughly and transparently.

According to Wolff, even a minor breach in overspending can make a car faster by up to a tenth of a second. And with Red Bull overspending by $10 Million, he believes Red Bull will inherit an unfair advantage for the next 3 seasons.

Red Bull has been tight-lipped about the matter. They have brushed off the remarks as defamatory and Helmut Marko has labelled Wolff as a sore loser. Team Principal Horner has said the team had interpreted the rules differently and is waiting for

 

Wolff however claimed he was aware of Red Bull’s spending for a while. The Austrian has claimed Mercedes has kept track of the upgrades brought by its rivals and the records match the current speculations.

Wolff stated earlier that it was about time that questions were raised about his 2021 title rivals. Recently, he asserted, “This is not a moment in time where suddenly you discover the breach.”

He adds, “The audits have been going on for a long time. Every team has collaborated with the FIA, there have been discussions forward and backwards about how the interpretations go.

Also Read: George Russell suggests FIA reduce $10 million from Red Bull’s budget next year

Toto Wolff says Red Bull’s breach is not minor

Toto Wolff was hurt after how Max Verstappen snatched Lewis Hamilton’s 8th title in the last lap of the 2021 season. The controversial ending to the previous season has surely added fuel to the fire.

Wolff believes a breach in the budget cap will alter the fate of every other team and how the season plays out. So when the pundits state the breach to be minor, Wolff questions, “Is it a so-called minor breach?”

Minor breaches of the cap are when a team overspends by five per cent or less.  This would result in less severe penalties like a fine of $25,000. But Wolff believes otherwise.

He adds, “I think the word is probably not correct. Because if you’re spending $5 million more, and you’re still in the minor breach, it still has a big impact on the championship.”

Also Read: Lewis Hamilton claims minor cost cap breach could change championship results

Toto Wolff claims Mercedes always operated within budget

Toto Wolff stated that Mercedes had to forgo key upgrades in the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to budget limitations. And hence, he finds it hard to tolerate a breach from his counterparts.

Wolff said, “We know exactly that we’re spending $3.5 million a year on parts that we bring to the car. And then you can see what difference it makes to spend another $500,00. It would be a big difference.”

He added, “We haven’t produced lightweight parts for the car in order to bring us down from a double-digit overweight. Because we simply haven’t got the money. So we need to do it for next year’s car.”

Lightweight upgrades could cost Mercedes up to $2 Million. And thus, the Silver Arrows boss believes FIA must understand the situation of other teams and come to a decision.

FIA delayed releasing its Certificate of Compliance to October 10th. The body will be releasing the financial details of the 2021 season.

Wolff believes the FIA will take the right decision and necessary action as it feels. But the entire process must be transparent. And just action must be taken on any violations. Whether that be reduced budget, wind runner time, a fine, points deduction or stripping the team from their championship.

Also Read: Toto Wolff positive about FIA’s judgement regarding Red Bull’s $10 Million breach