The Red Bull drivers were booed during an act prior to the third free practice session of the F1 United States GP.
Incredible, but true: the F1 world champion has been booed at the Austin Circuit, home of the United States GP. Max Verstappen and his partner, the Mexican Sergio Pérez, were accused of “cheaters” by a group of fans during an act in which the two Red Bull drivers participated.
The reason for this accusation by the fans is the infringement of the 2021 Financial Regulations by Red Bull. It was precisely last season when Verstappen won the drivers’ title from Lewis Hamilton by just eight points. The FIA, although it has reported that Red Bull exceeded the budget limit of 145 million dollars, has not revealed by how much.
However, the infraction has been considered “minor”, which means that the budget limit was exceeded by less than five percent, and the team explained in a statement that, according to their accounts, they were within the margins. .
For these fans present in the United States, neither the explanation of Red Bull nor the possible defense of the Austrian team is enough. These have preferred to go on to boo their pilots for “cheaters”, which is what they shouted, as can be seen in the video.
This just happened 😳 #USGP #AustinGP pic.twitter.com/AycEzn0zSp
— LewisNation (@lewis_nation) October 22, 2022
Good blame for the perception that the title was lost for this reason, you can have comments like those made by Lewis Hamilton, the favorite driver in the USA, a few weeks ago, when he said: “If we had spent 300,000 pounds on a new floor or on a new wing, that would have changed the outcome of the championship as we would have been more competitive.”
It is impossible to know how Red Bull’s excessive spending could influence the title fight, when we really do not even know the amount exceeded or what he dedicated himself to; Rumors speak of an overspend of less than two million dollars, which may be related to issues such as layoffs or catering, but not improvements.
“I absolutely and categorically deny that we have had an advantage in 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024. It has even been said that we may (have an advantage) going into 2026, which is totally fictitious,” said Christian Horner, Red Bull team boss. , at the FIA press conference on Saturday.
Still, it is indisputable that Red Bull should be sanctioned if it has broken the rules. The energy drinks team would already have a penalty proposal on the table, which it can now accept or discuss with the FIA.
The punishment, also according to rumors as there is enormous secrecy surrounding this matter, could be related to an economic fine and a 25% reduction in the use of the wind tunnel.
