Ecclestone suspects Red Bull penalty will be more severe than points deduction

Now that the FIA has announced that Red Bull Racing has exceeded its 2021 budget cap, the big question is what penalties will be imposed. Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone believes the punishment could well be more severe than the loss of World Championship points.

It is not yet known to what extent Red Bull has gone over the budget ceiling, but the FIA speaks of a minor violation. According to the latest reports, it would be an overrun of one to two million dollars. Either way, Mercedes and Ferrari are calling for tough action and Mercedes even threatened to go over the limit too, should the penalty be low.

As this is a minor offence, it is not expected that a heavy punishment will follow, but anything is still possible. One person who thinks he already has the answer is Bernie Ecclestone. Asked by Blick whether he thinks Red Bull should fear for their World Championship points in 2021, the former F1 chief's disturbing answer follows: "It gets worse!" What exactly he means by that and what he thinks is hanging over Red Bull's head Ecclestone would not disclose.