Will cost cap row overshadow Verstappen’s coronation? Five Japanese GP talking points · RaceFans

Of the many races that Formula 1 has had to forgo since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka was among the most sorely missed.

This weekend, Japanese fans finally get their long-overdue opportunity to finally enjoy an F1 grand prix in their homeland once again – and with a Japanese driver for them to cheer on as well.

Here are the talking points for the Japanese Grand Prix.

Cost cap controversies

Last season, the FIA introduced its financial regulations to govern F1 for the first time. Setting a maximum team budget spend of $145 million for the entirety of 2021, it was the first big step towards a new vision of F1, intended to generate greater parity and reward engineering ingenuity and skill, rather than allow teams to simply spend their way to the title.

However, discussions around the budget cap are likely to dominate discourse as the FIA is widely expected to announce that not all of the 10 teams adhered to its rules last year. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff last week described the situation as an “open secret” in the paddock.

Speculation over the FIA’s procedure reached such a pitch that the governing body put out a statement insisting it is continuing to follow its procedures and will announce any breaches this week. Reports claim Red Bull and Aston Martin are the two teams to have infringed the rules.

This marks an important moment for F1 and the FIA. Not just because of what potential punishments the FIA’s adjudication panel may elect to hand any teams considered guilty of a breach and how they could affect those teams for this and next season, but also because the integrity of the cap could be fatally undermined if any sanctions are considered too lenient.

Although the potential infringements in question occured last year, the scope of any advantage gained isn’t necessarily limited to 2021, as teams were developing their current cars at the time. The timing of the FIA’s findings is therefore particularly unfortunate as it could coincide with the outcome of the world championship.

The last time F1 raced at Suzuka in 2019, both of Renault’s cars – driven by Daniel Ricciardo and Nico Hulkenberg – were disqualified from the final results after their brake bias system was considered to have breached the technical regulations. Last weekend Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur pointed out that the FIA readily disqualifies…