Horner "on the ropes" as Wolff and Brown will "keep punching" - Brundle

Ewan Gale
Saturday 29 October 2022 11:16 - Updated: 09:17

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle believes Christian Horner is "on the ropes" over Red Bull's budget cap breach and expects rivals Toto Wolff and Zak Brown to "keep punching".

The championship-winning outfit was fined $7million and hit with a 10 percent reduction in its wind tunnel and CFD testing time as a result of its minor breach of last season's financial regulations.

The details were released after Red Bull and the FIA came to terms over an 'accepted breach agreement', bringing an end to a saga that started after a leak at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Red Bull team principal Horner labelled the punishment as "draconian" whilst Mercedes counterpart Wolff was reserved in his initial reply.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Brundle said: "Christian and Red Bull are on the ropes over this and I fully expect Toto and Zak and others to keep punching, because they have got them on the ropes.

"That is the nature of this little crucible we live in."

Red Bull was found to have exceeded the cap by £1,864,000. However, if it had filed its tax documentation correctly, the breach would only have been £432,652 or 0.37 percent of the £118m allowed.

Criticising the wording of the financial regulations, Brundle added: "Minor breach is wrong because everybody is super upset about £432,000.

"A minor breach goes up to $7.25million, a full year's development budget, clearly makes no sense.

"A breach is a breach, there should be a rounding number, $100-200,000 maximum and then you have got to justify it.

"It has got to be the way otherwise the terminology suggests it is not very serious."