Budget cap Red Bull, the hypothesis of purely procedural violations is growing – F1 Team – Formula 1

The huge uproar unleashed on the Singapore weekend by the rumors published by Auto Motor und Sport, Corriere della Sera And Gazzetta dello Sport about possible massive and significant breaches of the budget cap by the Red Bull team in the 2021 season it could turn into the proverbial mountain that gives birth to a mouse. In recent days, the accusations of many teams, Mercedes and Ferrari in the lead, have been pursued, which invoked clarity and exemplary penalties in the event that the Milton Keynes team had exceeded the ceiling at the expense of several million. We had even come to imagine an overcoming of the ceiling – set at 145 million dollars in the past championship – of approximately 10 million dollars. A figure that, if confirmed, would automatically be included among the most serious violations of the ‘cap’, those exceeding 5% of the ceiling. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, the two names at the top of the Austrian team for years, responded hard-nosed to these disputes.

Less than 24 hours from what could be the day of truthHowever, with the FIA ​​that tomorrow should formalize the real numbers referring to the balance sheets of the last championship, the ‘Red Bull case’ seems to be significantly deflating. According to several British sites, including Sportsmail, any violation of the ‘bulls’ could in fact be declassified a ‘minor breach’ or even a simple procedural violation. In this second scenario, there would be no more than a fine for the team that is one step away from winning the fifth constructors’ title in its history. The journalist from Sky Sports F1, Ted Kravitz. In his opinion, many of the rumors that have been talked about in Singapore could turn out to be “Fried air”. Official documents should therefore “Water down” most of the charges.

The question, as Helmut Marko himself had anticipated in Marina Bay, is destined to be played out on six specific expense items. The discussion between Red Bull and the FIA ​​should concern just how many of these items should actually be counted within the cap. It should not be forgotten that Red Bull, like Ferrari and Mercedes, also has other work departments parallel to those of Formula 1. It is therefore not easy to determine exactly what should actually be considered inside the roof. The hypothesis of an overrun of 10 million arises from the possibility of bringing all six of these items back into the budget cap. A possibility that, however, according to rumors, seems rather remote. Precisely for these reasons, the confrontation between the Federation and the Austrian team could result in a mere procedural infringement, without being inflicted on Red Bull. relevant sanctions at a sporting level.