Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz has urged the FIA to make sure that the punishment fits the crimes in the wake of Red Bull was found guilty of breaching the Formula 1 budget cap in 2021.
On Monday, the FIA officially confirmed that Red Bull was the sole team to have spent more than the allowed $145million limit during the 2021 Formula 1 season, while Aston Martin made just a procedural breach.
For now Red Bull is evaluating its first move and whether it should accepted a breach deal, despite the fact that it would mean a milder punishment and could not be appealed, but at the it would also mean they admit to being guilty. Their stance so far has hinted they are not willing to do that.
The FIA has so far only provided generic information about the possible punishment for a team that breaches the budget cap and the options for a minor offence range from a reprimand to the deduction of points in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
Ahead of Red Bull’s breach being officially announced Scuderia Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz shared his thoughts on what he felt would be a suitable penalty for any infringement:
“This is [for] the the FIA. They need to rule on what they believe are the rules. That is why there is a set of rules and a set of penalties that are already determined depending on how much you jump the budget cap or not.” – the Ferrari driver pointed out.
Regarding Red Bull’s specific situation, Carlos Sainz admitted he hoped “they get a penalty according to the infringement”.
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Several media outlets reported that an overspend of even $1m could mean lap time gains of approximately one-tenth of a second, which is significant given the close margins between Red Bull and Mercedes last year, and Red Bull and Ferrari in 2022:
“We all know how important development is in Formula 1 – it is everything. It is the core of Formula 1. So if you jump that rule, for sure, there needs to be a high penalty.” – Scuderia Ferrari Spanish driver Carlos Sainz replied.
It has been over 300 days since last season’s championship was decided and more than half a year since these financial numbers were first submitted, so the FIA is likely to want to get this settled as quickly as possible. Yet the speed of a resolution clearly is conditioned by how hard Red Bull will approach the matter following the verdict. If there is an accepted breach agreement, it could be quick and there would be no appeals. If not, the situation may drag on for a few weeks.
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