Drivers rebel against Red Bull; Bottas calls for “strict and harsh” penalty
The FIA have reportedly offered terms to Red Bull after finding them guilty of a minor breach of the 2021 $145m budget.
Red Bull have yet to respond but F1 drivers, ahead of the F1 United States Grand Prix, have agreed that the FIA’s punishment must be sufficiently damning.
“The rules are the rules,” said Bottas who drove for Mercedes last year when his teammate Lewis Hamilton lost out on the driver’s title to Max Verstappen at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
“I personally hope it's going to be a strict and harsh penalty because it shouldn't happen - the rules are the rules.
“It shouldn't be any different with the penalty. Let's hope it's a penalty that hurts them.
“I was in the fight with them for the constructors' [championship], yes we got that but the driver’s? We lost by a few points.
“A few millions can make a big difference."
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz added: "I think every team and every driver wants clarity and fairness.
“We all know how much 1, 2, 3, 4 million can make to car development and speed. That's why, years ago, the top three were spending $350m and now we spend $145m.
“I just hope if there's a penalty, the penalty is relatively important.
“It needs to be fair play for everyone. The cost cap is there to be followed."
Sergio Perez offered a defence for his team: "We believe we are in line and we believe that everything will come up in the right situation.
“I will leave it down to my team to solve that with the FIA. At the end of the day there are always teams that want to take performance out of you, especially if you are winning, so that's part of the sport."
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
