Martin Brundle again hits out on the “mess” that has been created ever since FIA acknowledged budget cap breach by Red Bull.
After the 2022 Japanese GP where Max Verstappen secured his second world title, FIA gave the long-awaited news overshadowing the celebrations by Red Bull and Max Verstappen.
The governing body officially confirmed the 2021 budget cap breach by Red Bull. FIA further acknowledged the fact that Red Bull turned out to be the only team that went over the $145 million budget cap in 2021. Aston Martin was at fault for a procedural breach.
This news sent the F1 world in frenzy with speculations arising on what the penalty could be. The Milton-Keynes-based outfit was found guilty of a “minor” overspending.
This means the penalties range from a mere fine to a deduction in championship points by the governing body. Although speculations of Verstappen losing the title rose but now it is expected that the team will go away with a mere fine.
Many in the paddock have raised their concerns over this issue.
Martin Brundle finds regulations “not right”
Former F1 driver and Sky Sports commentator Martin Brundle has been vocal on this issue. Earlier, the Briton demanded Christian Horner be accountable for Red Bull’s mistakes.
Now, ahead of this weekend’s United States GP, where Red Bull looks on to wrap up the 2022 Constructors Championship, Martin Brundle said this while talking to Sky Sports F1:
“It’s a mess all around because we’re talking about 2021 of course, not this season,”
he said.
“We’ve got some hearsay, we don’t have any facts as to how much have overspent, what it means, what the penalty could be.
“It’s described as a minor breach if it’s up to seven million dollars. Clearly the regulations are not right. They’ve got to be changed because most teams will tell you that’s a season-long development budget.
“The terminology, a minor breach, suggests that it wasn’t of great gravity. Clearly it is, Red Bull are very sensitive about it.
“They say ‘we think we were under; they think we were over, we want to explain why’. But everyone’s gone to ground because the process dictates that. It’s just bad for F1 to have this hanging over us.
“Here we are at a magnificent event again, four in five weeks and we’re talking about finances from last season.”
Will FIA give a strict punishment to set a precedent for overspending the budget cap? Or the team will again walk away with a mere fine like on many occasions in the past?
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