Red Bull is the only team to exceed the Formula 1 cost ceiling introduced last year. It is still unclear to what extent - and what the penalty will be. McLaren boss Zak Brown is now writing a letter in which he "clearly demands a sporting" sanction.
In the financial dispute surrounding the Formula 1 team Red Bull, McLaren boss Zak Brown has demanded severe penalties against fraudsters from the world motorsport association FIA. According to the BBC, the American wrote in a letter to the FIA that the violation of spending limits and possible procedural violations would constitute fraud "since they allow a significant advantage in terms of technical, sporting and financial regulations". Brown doesn't believe that "a financial penalty alone" would be appropriate in such a case. In such cases, "clearly a sporting penalty" must be imposed.
Last week, after months of auditing, the FIA announced that Red Bull was the only one of the ten teams to have exceeded the spending limit last year. The cost limit is intended to ensure more equal opportunities. The violation is a “minor” sum, the umbrella organization said. But that's exactly what the scene is arguing about. Minor, i.e. less than five percent of the allowed 145 million US dollars (around 150 million euros). That would still be up to 7.25 million.
Two million dollars alone would increase the annual budget for the further development of the cars by 25 to 50 percent, Brown calculated. So this has a "significant positive and long-term benefit". According to the BBC, Brown expressly did not mention Red Bull in his letter. According to dpa information, the letter was also forwarded to all other racing teams for reasons of transparency.
The FIA has not yet announced a penalty. In her message, she also left open what amount is specifically involved in Red Bull's offense. However, the catalog of possible penalties is far-reaching. Everything is possible, from a mere warning to the deduction of championship points in the driver or team rankings, a ban or a restriction on development tests to a lowering of the spending limit for the team.
In its announcement, the FIA also pointed out that only a serious violation would automatically result in World Championship points being deducted. Therefore, Red Bull star and world champion Max Verstappen does not have to worry too much about his first title from the previous year.
