Red Bull's budget cap penalty 'a joke'; Ferrari makes urgent appeal to FIA

Red Bull Racing was told last year, after a long wait, that it would have to pay a $7 million fine for exceeding the budget cap and get 10 per cent less time in the wind tunnel. According to rumours, three teams are currently under a magnifying glass with the FIA on this. In any case, Frederic Vasseur has firmly called on the governing body to punish them more severely than 12 months ago.

After the FIA announced the penalty, a discussion immediately erupted. Was the penalty too heavy, too light or good? Red Bull actually thought these hindrances would be too heavy. Its direct competitors believed that the Austrians had been hugely patronised, while others were unsure how much impact the penalty would have. But now, given Red Bull Racing's huge lead in both world championships during the summer break, the penalty was not severe enough. At least, that is Vasseur's firm belief.

Heavier penalties

The Ferrari team boss has stated that he wants harsher penalties if teams spend too much money in 2022. "Last year's penalty was not severe enough. If this time happens again, it [the punishment] has to be much more drastic. Given that technical advantage translates into a sporting advantage, the penalty should be sporting and not a fine. In football, if you handle the ball in the penalty area, you don't get a penalty either. The ten per cent 'discount' in the wind tunnel is a joke: you've already done the big work, and what you don't use for aerodynamics, you can spend on weight saving and things like that."

Vasseur even suggested to La Gazzetta Dello Sport that a team should be suspended for a year if they did not comply with the financial rules. "We need a drastic punishment: for 2024, a one-year exclusion or something like that. We know it is difficult to manage the budget ceiling, but we have perfect systems to control what you spend and when in doubt, you can ask the FIA," he states.

Last year, the FIA distinguished between a minor and a major breach of the budget ceiling. The international motorsport federation called it a minor violation if less than five per cent overspent. Ridiculous, in Vasseur's opinion. "That's not minor. It's a major violation. You have a budget of 135 million, 80 of that is for personnel alone, and then you add about 20 million in costs for the races (equipment you buy, brakes and so on). Building four cars at the beginning of the season is worth another 20 million, and there are other items too. In the end, you are between 120 and 125, more or less fixed costs for everyone, and you are left with less than 10 million for development. So you have exceeded 2 million on 7 or 8 million," he reckons.

Tough action is really needed

According to the 55-year-old Frenchman, the FIA must get it right this year. If they don't and this is not properly resolved, Formula 1 runs the risk of teams deliberately overspending. "We have to be tough. The future of the cost limit depends on it," Vasseur concluded in an interview with the Italian newspaper.