The history of Formula 1 is filled with acts and accusations of rule-bending. From technical infringements like secret fuel tanks and claims of hidden software settings to on-track scenarios such as causing a deliberate crash to win a race, to off-track scandals such as espionage.
But until last week, no F1 team had been accused of potentially breaking the rules with their finances. That changed when the FIA announced Red Bull had been found to have exceeded its 2021 spending limit.
‘Cheating’ is a strong word, but it was one McLaren CEO Zak Brown did not shy away from using last week in a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and copied to F1 president Stefano Domenicali where he stressed that, in his view, any team breaching the budget “constitutes cheating.”
Ten months have passed since the controversial conclusion to last year’s world championship in Abu Dhabi. It has taken this long for the FIA to decide Red Bull committed a ‘minor breach’ of the $145m budget cap – which constitutes an overspend of up to 5%, potentially as much as $7.25m.
Red Bull was also found to have committed a ‘procedural breach’, as was Aston Martin (and as was Williams in June). The team which took Max Verstappen to the drivers championship last year is adamant they did not exceed the limit. A Red Bull statement said their 2021 submission was “below the cost cap limit,” and they were “disappointed” in the findings and would “consider all the options available” to them.
Nothing has followed in the nine days since. Questions therefore still hang over not only the 2021 season, in which Red Bull is said to have overspent, but also this year and future championships.
Before the announcement was made, many had suspected a team of breaching the costs limit. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff described it as an “open secret” in the paddock.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
His opposite number at Red Bull, Christian Horner, strongly denied there was any truth in the allegations and demanded rivals withdrew ‘fictitious, defamatory’ claims otherwise.
“We made the submission in March,” Horner said. “We stand absolutely, 100% behind that submission that we are below the cap.
“That submission has to be signed off by your auditors – obviously ours is one of the ‘big three’ – and then it goes through a process…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at RaceFans…