Red Bull was the only guilty team found to have overspent on last season’s budget cap. Whether the authorities fined them appropriately has split opinions. Whilst Toto Wolff felt the penalty was appropriate, Zak Brown did not feel the penalties were strict enough. However, fans now have demanded the FIA to be extremely ruthless while making a decision if they find RBR and Max Verstappen guilty.

The FIA announced Red Bull had breached last year’s $145 million cost cap by 1.6 percent. Consequently, the Milton-Keynes outfit was fined $7 million and handed a further 10 percent reduction in its aerodynamic testing allowance for 12 months. However, fans want a ban on Red Bull’s star driver, Verstappen, if they’re found guilty of such a breach again.

Is the penalty for Red Bull justified? Let’s check the fan’s opinions.

Not everybody was happy when FIA announced the penalty for Red Bull. The verdict outraged many people. Some fans could not believe that a fine of $7 million decided the difference between winning and losing.

The Express Sport reported, “In a recent survey, Express Sport readers have had their say and a decisive 61.4 percent of respondents believe that teams should be banned, rather than fined, in future cases. More than 4,000 people responded with less than 40 percent agreeing that a fine is sufficient.”

Moreover, Christian Horner claimed that the penalty imposed on RBR was tough. He said, “The more draconian part is the sporting penalty, which is a 10% reduction in our ability to utilize our wind tunnel and aerodynamic tools. I’ve heard people reporting today that it’s an insignificant amount. Let me tell you now, that is an enormous amount. That represents anywhere between a quarter and half a second of a lap.”

READ MORE: After Placing “Target” on Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen Claims: “That’s the Beautiful Thing”

Even the reigning world champion feels that the penalty will affect them significantly.

Max Verstappen states that the budget cap penalty will affect Red Bull

Red Bull’s Dutch driver has given his verdict on whether the cost cap penalty will affect them or not. Verstappen believes that it will hurt the Milton-Keynes team significantly next season. However, he has full confidence in his team and feels that his team has the right factors in place to cope with the setback.

“It’s going to hurt us,” Verstappen told the German publication Auto Motor und Sport. He continued, “But I am confident that my team will get it right and we will have a good start. We know where to start and what to work on.”

He further added, “If we were at a loss as to which direction to go in, it would be an even bigger problem. We will find out over the year how much we actually suffer.”

WATCH THIS STORY: Regulations of Controversial F1 Budget Cost Cap

Do you think banning Max Verstappen is the right solution? Or are fans getting reactionary and overreacting?