The FIA ​​announces the sanction against Red Bull for exceeding the 2021 budget cap

Strong measures had to be taken in the interest of the budget cap and its credibility in the future, and the FIA ​​did so. For having exceeded the 2021 budget cap, Red Bull was in fact sanctioned by the budget cap commission, both financially and sportingly. The Austrian team, which broke the cap for £1,8 million last year, was fined $7 million. The competitors of the team based in Milton Keynes They especially demanded a sporting sanction, estimating that these almost two million dollars in surplus benefited the can giant on a sporting level. They therefore won their case. 

The offense being a minor violation of the Financial Regulations (overrun of less than 5% of the budget cap), there was no disqualification from the 2021 championship or loss of points which could have cost Max Verstappen his first world champion title. Instead, a more measured sanction but which should handicap Red Bull for next year with a reduction of around 10% of its 2023 wind tunnel time coefficient (quota).

As a reminder, as Manufacturers' champion, Red Bull was supposed to be entitled to 70% of the reference value of the total wind tunnel time provided for by the Regulations (Article 6 of Appendix 7 of the 2022 Sporting Regulations). By subtracting this 10% penalty, the team based in Milton Keynes will therefore only be entitled to 63% of the reference value, both in terms of tunnel usage and CFD (fluid dynamics). For comparison, the second in the championship will have the possibility of using the wind tunnel up to 75% of the previously established reference value, 80% for the 3rd, up to 115% for the last in the championship. 

Until then, Christian Horner had always proclaimed Red Bull's innocence regarding the cap budget. © DPPI

As a reminder, the FIA ​​formalized after the Japanese Grand Prix the overtaking by Red Bull of the 2021 budget ceiling ($145 million, Editor's note), specifying that this was, however, a minor violation of the financial regulations (overrun of less than 5%), without however announcing any specific sanction against the world champion team in 2021.

In the process, the can giant responded with a short press release, ensuring that it was in line with financial fair play, while specifying that it would not “all options open” depending on what the FIA ​​decides. In the meantime, Zak Brown, the boss of McLaren, spoke in a letter sent to the FIA, demanding financial but above all sporting sanctions for the credibility of the Formula 1. 

Red Bull has accepted the ABA

Last week, in Austin, we learned that the FIA ​​had proposed an ABA (accepted breach agreement, which could be translated as an agreement to accept an infraction) to Red Bull, which is one of the options available to the legislator in the case of a minor infraction like that of which the team was guilty Austrian. This modus operandi forced the team in question to acknowledge its guilt in relation to the proceedings, to accept the sanction (generally less severe than in the case of presentation before a jury) and not to appeal. 

Red Bull therefore accepted the ABA and officially recognized that it was guilty of exceeding the budget ceiling, after having publicly denied it for two weeks. She accepted the sanction proposed by the FIA. Under the ABA, the Red Bull will therefore legally not be able to appeal. However, an official communication from the Austrian team is expected in the coming minutes since an exceptional press conference on the subject will take place this Friday at 18:30 p.m. French time.

In Austin, Christian Horner promised that he would take the floor to explain the ins and outs of the matter once the discussion process with the FIA ​​was completed. The report of the press conference will obviously be available this Friday evening on CARhebdo.com. 

More info to follow…

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