Red Bull and the FIA have reached an agreement on a sporting and financial penalty

Today, the FIA should give the official sanctions that will penalize the Red Bull team both sportingly and financially for exceeding the 2021 Formula 1 budget.

Indeed, since 2021, a new “financial” regulation has been implemented in Formula 1. Originally put in place to limit spending in F1, it is meant to allow teams with smaller budgets to compete on almost equal terms with the other top-ranked teams.

Set at $146.2 million with 21 races on the schedule ($145 million + $1.2 million per race beyond 21), Red Bull has exceeded this budget, officially. The FIA has since announced that they are looking for the most appropriate penalty and are investigating the reasons for the overspending and the intentions of the team.

The financial regulation specifies that in the case of a minor overspending (less than 5% exceeding the budget), the team must be penalized, and the FIA has the option to impose financial sanctions (fines) or sporting penalties for the current season, the ongoing season, or the future season.

The FIA and Red Bull have agreed on a sanction.

The FIA announced that Red Bull’s budget overrun was confirmed 18 days ago. Since then, the team has been summoned by the FIA, which is in consultation with the directors of other teams to determine the most appropriate sanction.

The directors of rival teams strongly hope to see the team that is now the reigning world champion in 2022 penalized for sporting reasons. Therefore, the FIA should apply a fine as well as a sporting sanction which involves a reduction in wind tunnel aerodynamic testing.

The FIA has reached an agreement with Red Bull to impose a financial penalty and a sporting penalty since the United States Grand Prix last week. However, the announcement of the death of Dietrich Mateschitz, the founder of Red Bull, has delayed the official announcement.

The FIA should therefore announce this sanction today.