How will Red Bull be punished for F1 budget cap breach?

Red Bull exceeded the $145m (£114m) cap by less than 5% (up to $7.25m)

A deduction in Drivers’ or Constructors’ Championship points for the 2021 season are among the punishments that Red Bull could face after being found guilty of breaching the Formula 1 budget cap.

The FIA announced on Monday that Red Bull had overspent last year, exceeding the $145m (£114m) limit for the season.

The overspend was termed “minor”, which means Red Bull’s exceeded the cap by less than 5%, which equates to $7.25m.

The team, along with Aston Martin, were also found to have committed a procedural breach.

Both manufacturers can appeal the finding, with Red Bull noting that they received the FIA’s ruling with “surprise and disappointment”.

“Our 2021 submission was below the cost-cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA’s findings, as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost-cap amount,” a statement from Red Bull said.

“Despite the conjecture and positioning of others, there is of course a process under the regulations with the FIA which we will respectfully follow while we consider all the options available to us.”

The FIA has not revealed how much Red Bull were found to have overspent by, but said that it was “currently determining appropriate action”.

The regulations for a “minor” breach suggest that potential penalties could include:

• a public reprimand
• the deduction of drivers’ and/or constructors’ championship points for the season in question;
• the suspension from one or more stages of a competition (excluding a race itself)
• limitations on aerodynamic or other testing
• a reduction of the team’s cost cap.

Though Max Verstappen won his maiden world title by eight points from Lewis Hamilton in 2021, the deduction of points from last year’s championship is reported to be unlikely.

While Christian Horner, team principal, has publicly maintained that he does not believe Red Bull breached the cap, the team could elect to reach a settlement agreement with the FIA.

This would mean accepting their wrongdoing and allow the FIA to directly apply what it deems an appropriate penalty.

If an agreement cannot be reached, an indpendent adjudication panel will instead decide if the breach should be punished.

The procedural breaches made by Red Bull and Aston Martin do not relate to cap overspends but to a failure to correctly fill in forms.

Williams were fined $25,000 in June having been found to have similarly failed to follow correct procedure.