Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen’s Red Bull team broke last year’s cost cap rules with a “small overspend”, the FIA said in a statement on Monday. Monday.
The team, which is on course to win both 2022 titles after Verstappen secured his second drivers’ crown on Sunday in Japan, has also breached procedures and risks a fine and unspecified “minor sporting sanctions”.
The FIA said Aston Martin, owned by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, is believed to have committed a procedural breach.
“The FIA is currently determining the appropriate course of action to take under the financial regulations in respect of Aston Martin and Red Bull,” the statement said.
Violations can carry a series of sanctions ranging from public reprimands and fines to the deduction of points in the championship and even exclusion from it in the case of significant overspending.
Red Bull has noted the results “with surprise and disappointment”. He said his 2021 proposal was below the cost cap and he would consider all options while going through the FIA process.
“We need to carefully review the FIA’s conclusions as we continue to believe that the relevant costs are below the 2021 cost cap amount,” he added.
The FIA said a procedural breach or minor overspend, involving less than 5% of the cost limit, could be resolved by settlement.
The rule was introduced last year to curb spending sprees and level the playing field, and the cap was lowered from $145 million to $140 million this year. The next season will be 135 million dollars,
Williams complied with the regulations, except for a previously reported procedural violation that was settled in May of this year with a $25,000 fine.
