Helmut Marko Emerges as Bone of Contention as Mercedes & Co. Shoot Burning Questions at FIA over $135,000,000 Barrier

Another year and we have more budget cap drama coming our way. The FIA found Red Bull guilty of overspending in 2021, which garnered much controversy. The Austrian team accepted the punishments for their transgression. However, the Milton Keynes outfit remained unaffected by the punishments, especially looking at their dominance in 2022 and 2023 so far. However, Red Bull is under fire again! Chief rivals Mercedes among other teams on the grid are now looking for a clarification on the role of Helmut Marko at Red Bull. This is in addition to the fact Red Bull is already under scrutiny for the 2022 budget as well.

According to the French news outlet L’Equipe, seven of the ten teams are clear in the $135 million investigation. The three still under investigation and suspicion are Red Bull (again), Mercedes, and Aston Martin. The current powerhouses of F1 have allegedly been overspent in 2022, with Aston Martin worse off than the rest.

However, now the teams are united to point fingers at Red Bull’s Helmut Marko in seeking justification for his role at Red Bull. The Austrian isn’t part of the top-three highest earners at Red Bull. His position and presence and the fact he admitted to being under contract until 2024 have raised these doubts.

“Marko is present at all the races inside the Red Bull box, yet he is not among the three top managers whose compensation is not included in the $136 million,” read the columns of L’Equipe, as reported by Formula Passion.

Read More: Toto Wolff Concurs With Lewis Hamilton to Unveil Mercedes’ Future Plans

The budget cap has always been a worrisome aspect for the big teams. In fact, Red Bull’s Christian Horner has often publically expressed his concerns about the ever-reducing budget. Now, even Mercedes and Aston Martin are under fire, even though Toto Wolff was careful with every penny spent.

The Mercedes boss reveals how the budget cap has changed the team’s perception and approach toward spending

Mercedes quickly became the most successful team in the history of the sport. The eight consecutive titles made them a force to be reckoned with. Money was no bar for Mercedes as they tightened their grip on the sport. However, the 2021 budget cap changed that forever. After an era where Mercedes used to spend $442 million in a year, Wolff worries about the cost of a single nut.

“I think the cost gap gives it so many constraints,” said Wolff. “Because if we were completely free we would bring a different chassis. Like in the past, we wouldn’t even know what a front suspension costs.”

“And today we need to take the purchase price of the aluminium, then factor in how much is actually the cost of the car, how much is actually the machining of it cost, how much do you need to write off from the aluminium that you don’t need, price out every bolt that goes into the suspension, the carbon that you bought out of the raw material, then cut it, put it on, what’s the energy cost of the composite room, the overhead that goes into this, and at the end comes out the product,” he added.

WATCH THIS STORY: Christian Horner Unhappy with 2022 Budget Cap, Calls for Urgent Attention

First-world problems, perhaps? No matter how you look at it, the budget cap is definitely bringing the grid closer, bar Red Bull. Perhaps, in a few years and after the 2026 regulatory changes, that scenario will also change.