Martin Brundle expects F1’s governing body to come down hard on Red Bull after it was confirmed the sport’s leading team breached financial rules in 2021.
The FIA finally confirmed on Monday that the team, which last year carried Max Verstappen to championship glory over Lewis Hamilton – following a dramatic and controversial final race in Abu Dhabi – exceeded the sport’s £114million budget cap.
Red Bull overspent by less than five per cent, which equates to £5.7million, a so-called ‘minor’ breach of the regulations. But the FIA did not reveal an exact figure by how much the team failed to comply.
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The number is thought to be no more than 2m US dollars (£1.5m) and it is believed the Milton Keynes team could be dealt a financial penalty. However, to the frustration of many within F1, the severity of the punishment is still to be announced, meaning the shadow of last season still hangs over the sport.
Respected Sky Sports pundit and former F1 driver Martin Brundle says the punishment must be strong enough to deter teams from breaching the cap to ensure a competitive advantage in the future.
“What seems crazy to me is that a ‘minor’ breach can be up to five per cent of that cost cap,” he told Sky Sports’ Any Driven Monday show. That’s up to seven million. We know that’s a massive update on a car, even a B-spec [car] for some teams. That needs tightening up for starters.
“I’m assuming that the FIA will have to crack down hard on any minor breaches. But it looks like it could be a reprimand or a fine. Will they want to revisit drivers’ or constructors’ championship points for 2021?
What should be the punishment for breaching the budget cap? Tell us in the comments section below.
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“Other teams are saying ‘look, this gives you a head start into 2022 and cars are carried over to 2023, this is a big advantage’.
“We know that pretty much all the teams are gaming this system within their interpretation of the regulations to varying degrees.
“It does seem Red Bull have crept over the limit. We’re hearing a number of 1.8million. Unfortunately, we’re not being told that, we’ll have to wait and see. It’s got to be made clear that you stick to the cost cap or just under it, otherwise it’s going to hurt.”
On the lack of detail of the breach nor confirmation of the punishment, Brundle added: “It’s very disappointing that information hasn’t been supplied. Remember, we’re talking about the 2021 season, not this season.
“Presumably there’s some squabbling going on behind the scenes. It’s thoroughly disappointing that we don’t know the consequences.”
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