Red Bull and Aston Martin risk significant penalties if rumors that they exceeded the new FIA budget cap in 2021 are confirmed.
Formula 1 arrives in Singapore and also the controversy. The Red Bull and Aston Martin teams are in the spotlight for allegedly exceeding the budget cap in the 2021 season. If confirmed, it would lead to a hearing with the FIA that could lead to economic or scoring penalties.
Last season, F1 approved for the first time a budget limit of 145 million euros that the teams had to abide by, excluding from this amount the salaries of the main members of the team, drivers and the costs of marketing actions. Apparently, eight of the ten teams on the grid complied, but two did not and these would be Red Bull and Aston Martin.
The information has been published in Germany by ‘Auto Motor und Sport’ and in Italy by the ‘Gazzetta dello Sport’, media that would have known before anyone else that these two teams would have breached the financial regulations after the completion of the analysis that the FIA has made on last season’s finances.
The Federation will rule on this next week, when it plans to publish the results of the accounts for the 2021 season and certify compliance with the budget ceiling of the teams. If there was any team that had skipped it, a hearing will be held, according to Motorsport.com.
In case the amount agreed in the regulation has been exceeded, the FIA may impose the sanctions stipulated in the regulation, since it is established that “there will be no right to appeal against any decision of the Administration of the cost limit after sending a certificate to a team “.
According to this same medium, one of the two teams that have breached the financial regulations would have done so in a minor way, while the other would have incurred a major infraction.
The sanction to each of the teams that have exceeded the spending limit will also depend on the amount that has been exceeded.
In the event that the infraction is minor, which supposes an excess of less than 5%, the punishment could consist of a public reprimand, the withdrawal of points in the Drivers’ or Constructors’ World Championship, exclusion from a Grand Prix, restrictions in aerodynamic tests or economic fines.
If the infraction is considered serious by having exceeded the budget cap by more than 5%, the sanctions could be a further reduction in points in the championship, exclusion of the team from the championship or some events, or reduction of the cap. budgetary.
Both Aston Martin F1 and Red Bull have been silent about this matter in the Singapore Grand Prix paddock. It is clear that, if any type of breach of the budget cap is confirmed, both teams risk significant sanctions… and, in addition, the FIA is forced to set a precedent for the teams to take the rule seriously.
Teams like Mercedes or Ferrari must be on the lookout, since if Red Bull receives a points penalty in the drivers’ or constructors’ championship, they could benefit.
Mercedes, because last year they were outperformed in the drivers’ championship by just two points, and although it is practically impossible for that to be rectified, they will have even more arguments before the FIA to protest that season.
And Ferrari because, in the event of an improbable exclusion in any of the World Championships or Verstappen’s points cut this year, he would have options to fight for the title again.
On the other hand, if Aston Martin is the team that has exceeded the spending limit and is sanctioned, Fernando Alonso could join a team with significant restrictions in case any limits are applied to his development in the future.
Meanwhile, this weekend it’s time to see what happens on the Singapore track, and next week the FIA will reveal whether Red Bull or Aston Martin have broken the rule and cheated. If so, the controversy will be served…
