Sporting Sanctions and Budget Cap Breaches
Photo by F1i.com
This week, the FIA, Formula 1's governing body, put an end to the rumors about at least two F1 teams breaching the cost cap last year. The FIA emphasized that the auditing process is still underway, and they have not reached any final decisions yet. This comes after Red Bull was fined $7 million and given a 10% reduction in wind tunnel testing time as punishment for breaching the 2021 budget cap of $145m by $1.8m. Many fans, drivers, and teams felt this was a slap on the wrist and that the FIA was encouraging this type of behavior by not imposing stricter consequences. Even though the FIA dispelled the rumors, the rumor mill is s
The CEO of Formula One, Stefano Domenicali is calling for sporting sanctions on cost cap breaches rather than financial penalties. He went on to say:
“There are three regulations to be respected: sporting, technical, and financial. Any infractions must be punished with sporting measures. You can’t go in other directions.”
The FIA issued a statement in the wake of all the comments and calls for change stating that they would not be breaking procedure. The statement emphasizes that “the FIA holds regulatory authority over all FIA championships, including the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. While the FIA welcomes input from stakeholders, any changes to the regulations, whether related to technical, sporting, or financial aspects, will follow the appropriate due process.”