Explained: Horner’s “couple of hundred thousand” above cost cap claim
Red Bull and the FIA have found common ground over the team’s penalty for breaching the 2021 budget, reports Auto Motor und Sport , but will announce it at a later date out of respect for the death of Dietrich Mateschitz.
The “minor” breach equalled a maximum overspend of $7.25m above the $145m budget but Horner claimed that the amount was significantly below $1m and was due to “interpretation” of the new rule.
Explained: Why Horner said “a couple of hundred thousand”
Red Bull were $4m below the cap when they submitted their finances in March 2022, report De Telegraaf.
They are now $1.8 above the budget.
This is because $1.4m is a possible tax rebate leaving a discrepancy of $400,000.
Four reasons reportedly for Red Bull overspend
Staff gardening leave and sick pay
Catering costs
Spare parts
Tax
If Red Bull can prove that they expect a rebate from HMRC, the FIA would be “lenient”, report RacingNews365.
The staff costs surround Dan Fallows, the former head of aerodynamics who left to join Aston Martin 2021, and not Adrian Newey, as had been previously reported.
Did Red Bull gain a sporting advantage?
“Absolutely not. What are the relevant costs within the cap - this is where the interpretation comes from,” Horner said at the F1 United States Grand Prix.
“Our view is that our relevant costs come within the cap. We are in talks with the FIA over mitigating circumstances.
“We had zero benefit from an operational perspective."
Max Verstappen has won two F1 championships in a row - last year he edged Lewis Hamilton in notorious fashion at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
