Russell and Leclerc demand budget cap sanction after FIA delay

Sam Hall
Thursday 6 October 2022 09:03 - Updated: 09:03

George Russell has proposed to the FIA the sanction it should impose on any F1 team found guilty of a budget cap breach.

The FIA had been expected to award certificates of compliance on Wednesday but late in the afternoon confirmed its decisions would not be revealed until Monday after the Japanese Grand Prix.

Red Bull and Aston Martin are alleged to have breached the spending limit last year, leaving them open to a wide range of penalties from F1's governing body.

Asked how important it is the FIA awards an "appropriate punishment" for any team found to have spent above the $145million cap, Russell said: "It's not my duty to dive into those details.

"I'll just sit and wait to see what the results are from Monday but I just know from our experience within Mercedes, how hard the whole team has worked to stay within that cost cap.

"We know we can bring more performance to the table if we had more money to spend, and it's as simple as that.

"I trust in [FIA president] Mohammed [ben Sulayem] and the FIA to bring an appropriate punishment for anyone who is found guilty of the charges accused and it should be quite straightforward.

"You would expect the amount that has been gone over, should be the amount taken off for next year's budget and probably a bit more on top of that as a punishment.

"But let's wait and see."

Leclerc backs 'punishment' for guilty teams

The FIA has stressed in two separate statements its process is ongoing and that reports of wrongdoing by any team are "speculation" at present.

But should Monday's results highlight a breach, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc agrees it cannot be swept under the carpet and ignored.

"Speaking about ourselves, if we have more to spend then, of course, you will go faster on the track," added the Ferrari driver.

"So if there is any team found guilty of that then they should be punished. What is the punishment? I am not the one to decide but for sure, it should be punished."