AMuS reports Red Bull and FIA 'have agreed penalty' over budget cap breach

AMuS reports Red Bull and FIA ‘have agreed penalty’ over budget cap breach. Red Bull and FIA 'have agreed penalty' over budget cap breach.

According to German automobile magazine Auto Motor und Sport, we should expect an official announcement regarding the agreement between the FIA and Red Bull for the penalties to be imposed on the Milton Keynes team, found guilty of having breached the rules on the budget cap in 2021. The confirmation should arrive before the next round of the 2022 Formula 1 season, scheduled to take place in Mexico City: Wednesday, Thursday or Friday are the most likely days, according to AMuS.

The news, published by F1 journalist Michael Schmidt for the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport – confirms that Red Bull will receive a hefty fine and deduction on the hours available in the wind tunnel. By doing so, the Milton Keynes team would at least save Max Verstappen’s title won in the controversial final round of the 2021 championship, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The official announcement of the agreement should also finally reveal the figures of the overrun.

In explaining his defensive line, Christian Horner reiterated that Red Bull was within the limit of 145 million dollars regarding the relevant costs, thus attributing to minor expenses an overrun that he considered small (hundreds of thousands dollars). The Red Bull team principal, however, did not explain why they were the only ones to interpret the regulation in this way, nor the reason for the difference between relevant and irrelevant costs, when no “separate account” is made explicit in the regulation. Had Red Bull also avoided to report expenses that other teams have included in the $ 145 million, the “savings” could have easily been used to develop the car.

The announcement of the FIA-Red Bull agreement was also expected last weekend, but the death of former owner Dietrich Mateschitz has postponed further communications.