The governing physique FIA launched the funds cap, set at $145 million, for the primary time final 12 months to make racing extra aggressive, nonetheless, claims are Red Bull and Aston Martin broke the 2021 spending ceiling.
Red Bull Racing’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen crosses the end line forward of Ferrari’s Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc and wins the Italian Formula One Grand Prix on the Autodromo Nazionale circuit in Monza on 11 September 2022. Picture: CIRO DE LUCA / AFP / POOL
SINGAPORE – Team boss Christian Horner on Saturday hit again at claims from rivals that Red Bull had exceeded Formula One’s cost cap as “fictitious”, including they have been contemplating taking motion after “hugely defamatory” accusations.
Rumours had swirled across the paddock on the Singapore Grand Prix on Friday after two European publications, Auto Motor und Sport in Germany and Italy’s Gazzetta dello Sport, claimed Red Bull and Aston Martin had damaged the 2021 spending ceiling.
The governing physique FIA launched the funds cap, set at $145 million, for the primary time final 12 months to make racing extra aggressive.
Ferrari racing director Laurent Mekies informed the BBC: “It’s now no secret that two teams broke the 2021 budget cap.”
And Mercedes workforce principal Toto Wolff informed Sky Sports F1 that the breaches have been “an open secret in the paddock”.
But a tetchy Horner hit again Saturday as he informed reporters in Singapore he needed the accusations withdrawn.
“We were a little bit taken aback by comments that were coming in from two of our rival teams yesterday,” Horner mentioned.
“The submission to the FIA is confidential. I would be intrigued to know where their source of information for these fictitious claims have come from.
“They’re vastly defamatory. We take umbrage to them. Unless there’s a clear withdrawal of these statements, we will likely be taking it extremely severely and taking a look at what the choices accessible to us are.”
The 10 teams had to submit their audited accounts to the sport’s governing body FIA by March 31, who are investigating if anyone has broken the budgetary rules.
“We made our submission in March and we stand by that one hundred pc behind that submission that we’re under the cap,” said Horner.
“For groups, that aren’t occasion to any type of the submission, to be making claims about our submission and potential penalties is simply bang out of order.”
UNSUBSTANTIATED
The FIA is due to report its findings next week and late Friday issued a statement, calling the paddock rumours “unsubstantiated”.
“The FIA is at present finalising the evaluation of the 2021 monetary knowledge submitted by all Formula 1 groups,” it said
“Alleged breaches of the Financial Regulations, if any, will likely be handled in response to the formal course of set out within the laws.
“The FIA notes significant and unsubstantiated speculation and conjecture in relation to this matter and reiterates the assessment is ongoing and due process will be followed without consideration to any external discussion.”
Horner couldn’t cover his fury at what had unfolded on the primary race weekend the place Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has a mathematical probability to clinch this 12 months’s world championship.
“It is absolutely unacceptable to be making comments of the type that were made yesterday,” mentioned Horner.
“One can only assume it is not a coincidence, you know, that this is at the point where Max has his first shot at winning the world title.
“And right here we’re speaking about nothing however cost caps somewhat than the exceptional efficiency that he has had this 12 months.”
The FIA views any overspend of less than five percent of the cap to be “minor” with penalties ranging from fines to points deductions for drivers and constructors.
A more serious “materials” breach carries a most penalty of expulsion from the championship.
If Red Bull are discovered to have breached the cap, it might forged an extra shadow over Verstappen’s first world title, gained in controversial circumstances within the last race of 2021 in Abu Dhabi.