After intense speculation since the Singapore Grand Prix that two teams were found to have spent more than the roughly $145 million mark in 2021, motorsport’s governing body officially released its results on Monday.
A statement said all teams except Red Bull Racing, Aston Martin Racing and Williams had been issued with their Certificates of Conformity.
Williams’ breach related to last year’s late filing of files, for which the team was fined.
Aston Martin, like Williams, was deemed a procedural breach of the rules, while Red Bull had committed both a procedural breach and a ‘minor’ overspending breach.
The FIA’s belief that Red Bull has exceeded spending limits comes despite the team’s expressed confidence that the financial submission it submitted last March was well below the limit.
At the recent Singapore Grand Prix, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said he had confidence his team had fully complied with the rules.
“I’m absolutely convinced of our template,” he said. “It went through a process. It was received in March, regarding [being] fully signed off by our auditors, who obviously belong to the big three. And we think we’re comfortably within the ceiling.
“So the FIA is following their process. Hopefully, and possibly this week, we expect not just us, but all teams to hear the outcome of this process.”
F1 regulations provide a number of penalties for teams that have breached the cost cap.
For a minor infraction that accounts for less than 5% overspending, penalties may include a public censure, deduction of Constructor or Driver Championship points, disqualification from events, restrictions on aero testing, or a fine.
Details on how the FIA would deal with Aston Martin and Red Bull’s rule violations were not disclosed.
A statement said: “The FIA Cost Cap Administration is currently determining the appropriate course of action to be taken under the financial regulations in relation to Aston Martin and Red Bull and further information will be communicated in accordance with the regulations.”
In the case of Aston Martin there was no overspending as per the review and it is understood the team is keen to stress that no competitive advantage has been achieved and all recent reports that it has been overspending made to be considered harmful.
The procedural violation related to a number of administrative accounting protocols and was the result of various complex regulatory interpretations.
Red Bull’s overspending will prompt increased scrutiny over how the FIA is handling the matter, with several teams suggesting the matter will be a test case for the cost cap’s success.
Should the FIA crack down on the Milton Keynes-based squad, it could be seen as unfair given how new the cost cap regulations are and how everyone is trying to understand them at this stage.
However, if the governing body is too lenient, it could open the door for opposing teams to feel like they no longer have to stick to spending limits.
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto said in Japan on Sunday it was better for the FIA to be too harsh than to try and sweep the matter under the rug.
“What is important for us is whatever the infraction, if anything the penalty has to be significant because believe me our cars tried to fight for the best position in Japan today,” he said .
“These are cars designed to respect the budget ceiling itself and we know how much, even if it was a minor breach, how much it would have meant in terms of performance.
“I mentioned that five million is about half a second, even a million or two is about a tenth or two, which depends roughly on being second on the grid or on pole and maybe having the fastest car.
“Obviously it’s about 2021 and from 2021 it’s an advantage that you gain in the following seasons. I think what we need and what I expect is full transparency and clarity about the discussions that may have taken place.”
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