Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile or the FIA has confirmed the long-held speculation that Red Bull and Aston Martin were the two teams to have breached the 2021 cost cap rules.
However, the governing body of motorsports confirmed that Red Bull was guilty of ‘minor overspend’ (less than 5% of the Cost Cap), and risk a fine and yet-to-be-issued ‘minor sporting penalties’.
The news comes a day after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen won his second consecutive World Championship in Japan.
Lawrence Stroll-owned Aston Martin was judged to have committed a procedural breach as well.
“The FIA Cost Cap Administration is currently determining the appropriate course of action to be taken under the financial regulations with respect to Aston Martin and Red Bull,” FIA said in a statement.
Red Bull, in their response, noted the findings “with surprise and disappointment”. They declared their 2021 submission was below the cost cap limit and that they would consider all options while following the FIA process.
“We need to carefully review the FIA’s findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost cap amount,” they added.
The penalty for the breaches can range from public reprimands and fines to a deduction of championship points and even exclusion from the championship in the case of major overspending.
Williams was issued a 25,000 dollar fine in May for a reported procedural breach.
The financial regulations were introduced last year to level the playing field, with the cap reduced from $145 to $140 million this year and it is due to be $135 million next season.
Though the punishment is yet to be announced, Red Bull’s main rivals, Mercedes and Ferrari have each called for strict action as any breach, according to them, would bring carry-over benefits for this season and next.
