Mercedes went above and beyond their allocated budget in the 2018 F1 season to defeat Ferrari in the Title battle.
Red Bull exceeding their budget cap this season has been the hot topic within the F1 community for the last few days. The introduction of cost caps was not popular among several teams, but it’s something the FIA went ahead with regardless.
Earlier this week, it was reported that two teams had exceeded the cap set for this season. The authorities have not revealed who the culprits are, but most people believe that it’s Red Bull and Aston Martin. The fact that the latter may have breached financial regulations and are still leading both Championships does not sit right with many.
Mercedes and Ferrari in particular have been very vocal in their protest against this. This comes in spite of Red Bull’s name not being officially revealed, something that team principal Christian Horner does not appreciate.
However, a prominent F1 journalist Giuliano Duchessa, pointed out on Twitter that Mercedes themselves were culprits of the same not very long ago.
Also read: Red Bull and AlphaTauri to display Honda logos in their car from Japanese Grand Prix onwards
Mercedes desperately wanted to beat Ferrari in 2018
Four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel moved to the Maranello based outfit in 2015. It was a move which people saw to be great on paper but didn’t quite work out. Vettel, however, came closest to beating Hamilton and Mercedes in the 2018 season where they arguably looked stronger in the first half.
Even though Ferrari looked faster in the opening rounds, it was Mercedes who prevailed in the end. According to Duchessa, this is because the Silver Arrows ended up spending more than they had originally planned.
According to the Italian journalist, Mercedes went 5% beyond their planned budget. This is very significant since every dollar spent on development creates a noticeable difference out on track.
There was no budget cap in F1 back then, so the German outfit could not have been penalized. However, Duchessa notes that this is something that has been common in F1 since the very beginning.
Also read: Red Bull announces partnership with mobile game with 70 Million Downloads
What will happen to Red Bull if found guilty?
One of the major talking points lately has been about what consequences Red Bull are to face. It’s widely believed that the Milton-Keynes outfit have indeed overspent, so they are waiting on a verdict from the FIA.
Fans are also questioning if it will affect their 2022 Title hopes? Rival fans are calling for points deduction for both Max Verstappen and the team, but as things stand, it looks unlikely.
Most figures in the F1 community believe that the FIA will heavily fine Red Bull and also limit their development plans for the 2023 car.
