What Are the Possible Punishments for Red Bull’s Cost Cap Breach?

The D-day has arrived and, admittedly, it isn’t looking good for Red Bull. With the recent budget cap accusations against the energy drink team, today was the day that FIA passed a final judgement. It officially declared Red Bull guilty of a ‘minor breach.’ Although, penalties are yet to be decided.

After weeks of debate around the Red Bull budget, the F1 Governing body has confirmed the accusations. Red Bull has indeed spent over the $145 budget cap of 2021. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had previously denied all speculations. He’d stated that they were confident of having followed all the rules diligently.

The list of penalties for a ‘minor breach’ according to the financial regulations are – “a public reprimand, a deduction in points (both for constructors’ and drivers’ championship in 2021), suspension from stages of the championship excluding races, limitations on the ability to conduct aerodynamic testing in the future and a reduction in the cost cap for the following year”

That being said, the exclusion is only applicable for material breaches. This means they will not overthrow Red Bull off of their championship from last year on account of their overspending. Along with Red Bull, Aston Martin was also found guilty of a ‘procedural breach’. They may face a fine penalty for the same.

FIA released an official statement, that read, “The review of the reporting documentation submitted has been an intensive and thorough process, and all competitors gave their full support in providing the required information to assess their financial situation during this first year of the financial regulations.”

The statement also mentioned that the investigation carried out by the FIA was limited to ‘reviewing the submissions made by the competitors’ and no further detailed, formal investigation has taken place.

In conclusion, regarding further action, the statement read, “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 and further information will be communicated in compliance with the regulations.”

Read More: How Does the Multi-Million “Minor Breach” by Red Bull Actually Stack Up Against the Budget-Cap Abiding F1 Teams?

As the FIA released the official verdict, Red Bull released a statement as well.

Red Bull released a statement post the FIA declaration

As the FIA statement came to light, Red Bull didn’t waste any time making a statement in response. Before the investigation, Horner officially assured the F1 community of their earnest ways. He claimed that the FIA had made the required checks during the audit and no issues were reported.

The Red Bull statement read, “We note the findings by the FIA of ‘minor overspend breaches of the financial regulations’ with surprise and disappointment. Our 2021 submission was below the cost cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA’s findings as our core belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost cap amount.”

“Despite the conjecture and positioning of others, there is of course a process under the regulations with the FIA which we will respectfully follow while we consider all the options available to us.”

Watch This Story: Understanding the Drama Behind the Ferrari Mercedes Budget Cap Battle Against Red Bull

As per previous reports, Ferrari wanted Red Bull to be severely penalized if found guilty. However, in light of the current events, we are yet to find out what Red Bull would be charged with. Would they lose their championship after all? We’ll have to wait and find out.