Red Bull issue budget cap warning as 'vague rules' slated

Sam Hall
Thursday 10 November 2022 06:00

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko has slated the 'vague rules' of F1's budget cap after the championship-winning team was found guilty of a minor breach.

Red Bull was handed a $7million fine and a 10 per cent deduction in its aerodynamic testing time after being judged to have spent £1.864m beyond the prescribed limit for the 2021 season.

Team principal Christian Horner described the sanction as "draconian" while rivals Ferrari believe the outfit has escaped lightly.

"It was the first year of the budget cap," Marko told Auto Motor und Sport.

"The rules were vague. They reacted late with clarifications.

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"We had Ernst & Young check everything. You have to rely on something. We thought we had a safety net of $3m.

"In the end, there was only $400,000 left. With the money, Hamilton constructs a front wing and Haas makes a whole new car."

Team owner Dietrich Mateschitz passed away during the United States Grand Prix weekend while Red Bull personnel were discussing an Accepted Breach Agreement [ABA] with the FIA, causing talks to pause.

Asked what Mateschitz had said about the breach, Marko added: "A meeting was planned for the week after Mexico. It didn't come to that anymore.

"Mateschitz has taken so many beatings throughout his career. Red Bull has faced many allegations in recent years. So there's a certain fighting spirit there."

In July, the budget cap for 2022 was raised by 3.1 per cent in reaction to rising energy costs as a result of the war in Ukraine.

But with inflation increasing to create a cost of living crisis on top of this, Marko warned there could be more breaches registered when this year's accounts are scrutinised.

"I think the current status is that six teams are over it. Inflation is something that was not calculable to that extent, especially when it comes to energy costs," he said.