The Red Bull budget cap breach scandal is yet to conclude after the team was found guilty of a “minor” breach.
FIA finished auditing the accounts of all 10 teams for 2021. The governing body awarded a certificate of compliance to all but two teams.
Aston Martin was deemed at fault for a procedural breach.
Red Bull on the other hand came out to be the only team that went over the $145 million cost cap. The governing body found the Milton Keynes-based squad guilty of “minor” overspending.
This means that the team went up to five percent or $7.25 million over the $145 million budget cap
Celebrations of Max Verstappen and Red Bull winning the second World Drivers’ Title were overshadowed by this news. Red Bull continues to deny any breach.
Red Bull estimated cost cap breach breakdown
A minor overspend can be up to $7.5 million over the budget. However, it is understood at the moment that the breach was no more than $1.8 million.
Reports indicate the internal costs include the former head of aerodynamics Dan Fallows. Fallows resigned in the middle of the 2021 season and took the role of technical director at Aston Martin.
It is believed that Fallows went on gardening leave as he left the outfit.
Further, it is believed that Red Bull didn’t take into account Fallows while the FIA did.
Moreover, the reports indicate that part of the overspending comes down to the spare parts and changes in the rules.
The parts made for the 2021 car which were useless on the 2022 cars were exempt from the cost cap counting. However, in June this year the rule was changed they were also included in the total cost counting.
Catering costs are believed to have added $1.2 million to the total overspending.
As rumors indicated earlier, it is now believed that FIA didn’t include Adrian Newey’s salary in the counting. Earlier it was thought that FIA counted Newey’s salary in the total counting, but it is now understood that the governing body did take Newey as the top three earners in the Milton-Keynes-based squad exempting him from the cost counting.
Red Bull and FIA are in talks and it is believed that the governing body has already offered the team to settle the case.
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