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Formula 1: Racing team boss calls for "sporting punishment" against Red Bull for violating the rules - point deduction possible?

2022-10-19T04:01:23.573Z


Formula 1: Racing team boss calls for "sporting punishment" against Red Bull for violating the rules - point deduction possible? Created: 10/19/2022 5:25 am By: Marcus Giebel In Formula 1, Red Bull is heading for a double title win. But the team is now in trouble because of a rule violation from 2021. For the competition, the matter is clear. Munich - Since his safe victory at the Japanese Gra


Formula 1: Racing team boss calls for "sporting punishment" against Red Bull for violating the rules - point deduction possible?

Created: 10/19/2022 5:25 am

By: Marcus Giebel

In Formula 1, Red Bull is heading for a double title win.

But the team is now in trouble because of a rule violation from 2021.

For the competition, the matter is clear.

Munich - Since his safe victory at the Japanese Grand Prix - the twelfth triumph in the 18th race of the season - Max Verstappen has been able to call himself double world champion in Formula 1.

But there is at least some uncertainty as to whether this will still be the case at the end of the season in just over a month.

There are four race weekends to go and the younger of the two titles cannot be shaken at all.

The Dutchman, on the other hand, may have to tremble for his World Cup crown from last year.

Because after much speculation as a result of several corresponding reports, the FIA ​​​​has now announced that the Red Bull racing team around Verstappen has not met the budget limit of 148.6 million US dollars (currently around 150.8 million euros) set for the 2021 season Has.

The examination of the world motorsport association is said to have shown that the Austrians had "slightly" exceeded the cost limit.

The choice of words suggests that the team moved less than five percent over the limit.

Formula 1 and the budget limit: McLaren boss "clearly wants a sporting penalty" for Red Bull

In addition, Red Bull and Aston Martin – Sebastian Vettel takes the wheel for the British racing team – have violated procedural rules within the framework of the budget guidelines.

All of this brings up the competition.

According to the

BBC

, McLaren boss Zak Brown wrote to the FIA ​​​​calling for a crackdown.

“We do not believe that a monetary penalty alone would be an appropriate punishment for an overspending violation or a serious procedural violation.

In these cases, there must clearly be a sporting penalty," says the message to FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem, a copy of which was sent to F1 Managing Director Stefano Domenicali.

Brown spoke of "fraud" and complained that the measures and penalties had to be communicated promptly "to protect the integrity of Formula 1".

The American has sensitive budget restrictions in mind and, among other things, a reduction in wind tunnel and simulation times.

Red Bull tears the budget ceiling in Formula 1: Brawn spoke of rules with "bite"

On the fringes of the Japan race, Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto had already demanded “a significant penalty” in the event of a rule violation.

There is also speculation about a point deduction that would particularly benefit Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton.

The Briton lost his lead to Verstappen on the last lap in a dramatic but equally controversial World Championship final in Abu Dhabi and thus missed becoming the sole record world champion.

Only eight points separated the two opponents in the final statement.

A deduction could have far-reaching consequences for Verstappen, Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.

In this context, a three-year-old statement by F1 sports director Ross Brawn, once Schumi's companion at Benetton and Ferrari, was recalled: "This set of rules has bite.

If you fraudulently break the financial rules, you will lose your world title.

Punishment for Red Bull's budget violation?

No, Max Verstappen only found himself behind a pane at press events in Japan because of the Corona rules.

© IMAGO / Motorsport Images

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Penalty for Red Bull for financial violation?

Ferrari and Mercedes name advantages in development

However, the Red Bull adversaries are unanimously in favor of sanctions, which the team that has dominated this year will continue to feel in the future.

Brown continued: "Any team that has overspent has gained an unfair advantage, both in the development of the current car and next year's."

Meanwhile, Binotto calculated that additional investments of one to two million US dollars could make a car up to 0.2 seconds faster per lap.

According to experts, smaller teams like Alfa Romeo hardly have more than 2.5 million US dollars available for the further development of their cars per season.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff also warned that an advantage achieved last year through illegal spending would continue to have an effect in the next season.

This means that components that have already been developed do not have to be paid for again.

Will Verstappen lose his world title?

Marko recalls Ferrari violation without official penalty

For its part, Red Bull was “surprised and disappointed” as an initial reaction to the FIA ​​​​announcement about the violations.

In an interview with the

F1 insider

, motorsport consultant Helmut Marko now emphasized: "We are still of the opinion that we have not violated the cost cap regulation at all." Discussions are still ongoing with the FIA.

What could benefit the racing team of the shower manufacturer are the quite tricky rules.

Salaries for drivers, high executives, marketing costs and travel expenses do not fall under the cost limit.

Red Bull is said to want to explain the additional expenses with unexpectedly high catering costs.

Of course, nobody is going into details at the moment, because it is just a matter of an ongoing process.

Marko was also self-confident about a possible loss of the title: "Rumors that Max could lose his world title in 2021, for example, are complete nonsense.

The past has shown that even the most severe violations of the regulations were punished very mildly by the FIA.

Since then, there has only been speculation about a deal between the FIA ​​​​and the racing team.

Expect crackdown by the FIA: Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff (l.) And his Ferrari counterpart Mattia Binotto look closely at the verdict against Red Bull.

(Scene from Spielberg) © IMAGO / NurPhoto

Does the FIA ​​punish Red Bull?

The regulations leave many options open

However, Red Bull is unlikely to get away scot-free.

Even if the team has achieved a similarly powerful position in the racing circuit as the traditional brands Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren through its successes in just over a decade.

According to the regulations, a mere warning or a public reprimand would be possible.

Or even a point deduction in the drivers' or constructors' championship, with Red Bull finishing second behind the Silver Arrows in the latter, 262 points ahead of Ferrari.

The exclusion of individual sessions - possibly free practice before the race - would also be an option.

Restrictions on development testing could be imposed.

Or the spending limit can be lowered individually.

The end of the budget cap in Formula 1?

FIA is in a dilemma because of Red Bull

In its first communication on the subject, the FIA ​​​​already stated that an automatic deduction of World Championship points would only result in serious violations.

This hint will also let Verstappen sleep peacefully.

But it is also becoming all the clearer that the world association is facing a dilemma.

Red Bull certainly has arguments on its side, as Marko pointed out.

However, if the penalty is perceived as too mild by the competition, the other large racing teams could also interpret the upper budget limit as a nice suggestion to reduce costs rather than as a binding rule.

With which the cost limit would be buried.

Only a year after his already extremely difficult birth.

(mg)

Source: merkur

All sports articles on 2022-10-19

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