Red Bull boss Christian Horner hinted teams would break F1’s budget cap rules when they were introduced two years ago. The team principal suggested teams would spend their budget as well as an “extra 10 per cent” even if a cap was brought in.
It comes to light after the FIA found Red Bull were the only team to have breached the £114million ($145mil) cap last season. Writing in a Red Bull column back in 2020, Horner said: “Money is a hot topic among F1 teams right now.
“The problem is, so much is made about the figure of the cost cap that I believe it is missing the point. F1 teams will always spend whatever budget they have available to them. Plus an extra 10 per cent.
“It is impossible to compare the spending of Ferrari to Haas, of Mercedes to Racing Point or even from Red Bull to AlphaTauri. They are all completely different structures and business models. I believe the solution should be looking at what drives those costs up in the first place and that is the R&D cost of building and developing cars in the hope of being competitive.”
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“Our 2021 submission was below the cost cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA’s findings as our core 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.” Aston Martin were also found to have made a “procedural beach” in the reporting of its financial data which is likely to result in a fine.
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