Just in time for Singapore GP this year, the news broke out that Red Bull breached the budget cap in the 2021 Formula One championship. Initially, it was mere speculation or claimed as a \’rumour\’. However, it was later confirmed when FIA revealed its reports that Red bull actually committed a cost cap breach, though \’minor\’.
Since then, Mercedes\’ boss and Christian Horner\’s arch-rival Toto Wolff has been advocating for the harshest punishment for the team. At the time, he also hinted if Red Bull gets away with a small fine, he and his team may deliberately exceed the budget cap. However, will Mercedes actually take this drastic step? Keep reading to find out.
Will Mercedes Exceed The Budget Cap Like Red Bull?
The FIA acknowledged last month that Red Bull had been slightly over the $145 million budget cap for the previous fiscal year. However, the team claimed that its inputs were within the cap in response to the FIA\’s findings. The Milton-Keynes-based team even expressed surprise and disappointment at them. They had improperly deducted costs in 13 categories, totaling a £1.8 million overspend, according to the FIA\’s ruling. And as a result of its excessive spending, Red Bull was penalized with a fine of over $7 million.
On the other hand, Mercedes\’ team manager is not pleased with the sanction Red Bull has received from the FIA. Wolff believes the fine imposed on Red Bull is insufficient. According to him, any shortening of the wind tunnel testing period will be harmful. However, at this point, it is difficult to assess how harmful. Wolff previously stated that his team would be prepared to pay a fine if doing so meant getting an advantage by going over budget.
Wolff remarked that Mercedes had already discussed it and questioned whether this was actually the source of the breakdown. The team is prepared to plan additional spending and corresponding fines to improve performance and regain the top spot. Given aggressive remarks from Red Bull, there is a chance that he may stick to his words and overspend in the upcoming Formula One championship. Although Wolff responded to the punishment that his team wouldn\’t willingly overspend if the danger of reputational harm was present.
Some had differing opinions about the Red Bull sentence, with some believing that justice had been done. Others were concerned that now that a precedent had been established. And it might not be sufficient to stop others from wilfully breaching the law in the future. \’The Flying Finn,\’ also known as Mika Häkkinen, appears to share Toto Wolff\’s viewpoint. He expressed his appreciation for the issue is finally resolved in his Unibet column. According to Mika, there would always be a gray area with the financial laws if the car is under the weight limit or a driver exceeded the track boundaries.
Häkkinen further claimed that it is good that such an issue came out in public and caught the eye. Now, no team will want to risk repeating something like this next year. He even pointed out the fact that this entire scandal was burdened on Red Bull and somewhat tarnished its reputation. \”However, now, it will benefit F1 in the long term because every team boss will be determined not to have this kind of negative publicity in future,\” believed Mika.
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