Red Bull may be reprimanded by paying a fine after the team is reported to have breached the 2021 Budget cap by $10 Million.
According to recent reports, Red Bull may have exceeded the 2021 F1 Budget cap. The team have reportedly overspent by $10 Million according to some sources.
Red Bull has still not commented on the reports and has remained for an official notification by the FIA. The team stated they have complied with all regulations and have interpreted the rules differently.
Red Bull may have found a loophole. But this would not be considered as a minor breach as it is well over the 5 Percent mark set by the FIA.
Ferrari sporting director Laurent Mekies tells Sky Italia: “It’s now no secret that two teams broke the 2021 budget cap regulations, one by a significant amount, the other less so. We regard this as something very serious and expect FIA to manage situation in exemplary fashion.”
— Andrew Benson (@andrewbensonf1) September 30, 2022
Many fans and critics have asked the FIA to conduct a stringent investigation into this matter. Some have suggested the Team be stripped of its 2021 or 2022 title or constructors standings
The team could be handed a reduced Wind tunnel time ahead of the 2023 season. But a decision by the FIA in 2021 means Red Bull may get away with a fine.
Also Read: Toto Wolff positive about FIA’s judgement regarding Red Bull’s $10 Million breach
Red Bull sees parallels with Williams fine.
Red Bull controversially won the title in 2021 as Max Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton in the last lap of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. The ending of the 2021 campaign can still ignite a heated debate amongst all F1 fans.
But the chance of the driver losing the 2021 championship title seems highly unlikely. Mostly Red Bull will be handed a hefty fine if they would have indeed found a loophole in the regulations.
In 2021, Williams was fined $25,000 by the FIA for breaching the Budget cap. The team committed a “procedural breach” as they failed to submit the required comments ahead of the 31st March deadline.
Williams has been forced to pay a $25k fine to the FIA after breaching the financial regulations last year.
It has since corrected its “procedural breach” when it failed to submit its 2021 financial reporting document#F1 #FIA #Williams #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/2nzetXxFIo
— The Formula (@TheFormulaF1) June 7, 2022
However, Williams had informed rule makers of the problem ahead of time. The FIA issued an Accepted Breach Agreement between it and Williams.
The British team worked with the FIA in order to rectify its issue and comply with the body. And this seems to be the conclusion Red Bull is heading towards
Also Read: “$5 Million not a minor breach” – Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff on Red Bull’s budget breach cover-up
Will Red Bull lose the 2022 title over the Budget breach?
Max Verstappen and Red Bull lead the 2022 Drivers and Constructors championships. Verstappen leads the table by 104 points heading into the Japanese GP.
He could clinch the 2022 title in the race if he wins the race and claims the fastest lap. While Red Bull also looks to claim its first Constructors title since 2013.
While some have called for the title to be stopped from the two if Red Bull is found guilty. It would be drama if the team loses the title at this point after dominating the season for so long. But this looks unlikely.
There will be no budget cap update today from the FIA.
Certificates of compliance will be issued on Monday. pic.twitter.com/GKE81m0lSJ
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) October 5, 2022
The FIA will be issuing the Compliance certificates to teams after the Japanese GP. The original date was postponed after the speculations went wild.
Also Read: Former F1 driver accuses Mercedes team boss of leaking Red Bulls $10 Million budget breach
