Toto Wolff keen to see F1 CHEATS caught out by new FIA clampdown

Toto Wolff

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Wolff keen to see F1 CHEATS caught out by new FIA clampdown

The FIA are set to be even stricter on certain measures with the cost cap

Joe Ellis

Wednesday 5 July 2023 08:57 Updated: 09:37

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff wants teams breaching the cost cap to be caught out as the FIA clamps down on procedures.

Red Bull and Aston Martin were both found guilty of exceeding the limit during the 2021 season but the findings of last year are yet to be revealed.

The FIA are now regularly asking for updates on the cost cap rather than waiting for the end of the year in order to try and keep the teams in line.

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Some teams have even been handed questionnaires with more than 100 questions to answer in an attempt to prevent a repeat of the 2021 debacle.

Max Verstappen won his first world title in 2021 but it was later found that Red Bull had breached the cost cap to help him get there

Wolff: They're going to find out

"I think so. Yes," Wolff said when asked by Motorsport.com if teams were exploiting the system in place.

"But the work that the FIA has put into auditing us was big work and big effort, and I have no doubt that they are going to do the same with the other teams. If someone has been cavalier or has cheated, then they're going to find out."

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella agrees with Wolff given the measures that the Woking-based team have put in place to avoid any penalties.

"We welcome very much this approach by the FIA, and we think that a strong policing is absolutely necessary," Stella said.

"There's quite a lot of complexity in how teams are structured, which can create opportunities or sometimes lack of clarity, and there could be some exploitation, let's say.

"What we have created very recently is McLaren Advanced Projects, which is an engineering unit that is completely separate to the activity of the F1 team.

"It's been created in light of what we knew was coming from a regulatory point of view, and we are working together with the FIA to, if anything, make the policing and the regulations even stricter here, because the cost gap is the fundamental element of creating a level playing field, which would make this sport and racing much more exciting."