F1 LIVE: Red Bull surprised and wait for penalty after cost cap breach

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.”

Christian Horner said he was “very confident” in Red Bull’s submission – as the team celebrated Verstappen’s second world title following a bizarre end to a dramatic Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday – before the FIA’s findings on Monday.

“We’ve been shocked at the speculation and accusations that have been made by other teams.,” Horner told BBC Radio 4. “We wait for the FIA to conclude their process and we wait to see what comes out. Anything other than compliance we’ll be extremely surprised at.”

Sanctions available to the FIA for a breach ranged from a reprimand, to financial penalties, to the deduction of drivers’ points, and even exclusion from the championship.

Red Bull added in their statement after the results were published: “We need to carefully review the FIA’s findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost cap amount.

“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.”

Red Bull have been found guilty of a “minor overspend breach” of F1’s cost-cap regulations for 2021 with their punishment yet to be determined – though a fine is the most likely outcome.

The team spent more than the £114m cost cap but with the breach not over the 5% “major breach” threshold of £5.7m, the penalty is not likely to result in Max Verstappen losing last year’s World Championship due to a loss of 2021 points.

Red Bull said in a statement that they are “surprised and disappointed” with the findings, insisting that there “2021 submission was below the cost cap limit.”

The FIA also confirmed that Aston Martin “is considered to be in procedural breach of the financial regulations,” with Red Bull also in “procedural breach.” Williams had previously been found in “procedural breach”, which has since been remediated – the team paid a $25,000 fine

An FIA statement read: “The FIA Cost Cap Administration is currently determining the appropriate course of action to be taken under the Financial Regulations with respect to Aston Martin and Red Bull and further information will be communicated in compliance with the Regulations.”