“There Could Be Six Teams…”: Christian Horner Makes Bold 2022 “Budget Cap” Claim After FIA Dished Out a $7M Fine to Red Bull

Red Bull has seen how breaching the cost cap can hinder progress for upcoming seasons. Apart from the monetary fine, they also had their wind tunnel time reduced by 10 percent. If team boss Christian Horner is to be believed, 6 teams are set to breach the budget barrier this season.

FIA adjudged Red Bull to have spent $2.2 million beyond the stipulated budget. The actual breach was around $400,000 but failing to declare tax receipts correctly inflated the amount to $2.2 million. Resultantly, they were fined $7 million and had their wind tunnel and CFD time reduced by 10%. While some thought the Milton-Keynes-based team got away with a slap on the wrist, Christian Horner thought the sanctions were too harsh.

Christian Horner believes 6 teams will breach the cost cap this year

FIA put Red Bull’s last year’s overspending under the “procedural and minor overspend breaches”. This is the reason Red Bull did not have championship points deducted from their constructor and drivers’ tally. Horner felt FIA has set a precedent and a breach of around 5% could prove much more costly for the teams who falter this season.

GP fans quoted Horner saying, “The danger for 2022 is there could be six teams in breach of the cap.” “Energy prices have been exponential. Thankfully we’ve been protected,” the Red Bull boss continued. He ruled out the possibility of his team breaching the budget ceiling this year.

“But these penalties have set a precedent for the future. So if you get 10 percent for a 0.37 percent breach, what is a five percent breach going to be worth?”

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Christian Horner referred to the 0.37 percent on the $400,000 figure, not the $2.2 million amount.

Horner terms the sanctions “draconian”

The Red Bull boss called a press conference after the FIA’s verdict. He reacted to the sanctions and called the $7 million monetary fine “an enormous amount of money”, as Jenna Fryer reported.

Reacting to the wind tunnel sanctions, Horner said, “The more draconian punishment is the sporting penalty which is a 10% reduction in the use of our wind tunnel. Some people have said that is an insignificant penalty. Let me tell you now, it is an enormous amount & represents anything between 0.25-0.5 sec of lap time.”

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We will only find out whether the sanctions cause any material hindrance next season. As far as the $7 million fine is concerned, Red Bull will have to pay it separately. FIA will not deduct the amount from their next year’s budget. Had that been the case, Red Bull could have been in serious trouble.