Have F1 teams broken cost cap rule? FIA set the record straight

The reports suggested that up to three of the 10 teams could be in breach of the 2022 budget, amid an ongoing investigation by the FIA.

The FIA had been cold-calling at factories and searching through WhatsApp chats, some reports claimed.

But an FIA spokesman said during the F1 Hungarian Grand Prix: “In light of recent reporting, we’d like to reiterate the ongoing process preceding financial regulation certification for the teams – none of which have been informed of their certification status.

“The auditing fieldwork is still ongoing and is scheduled to conclude in the upcoming weeks, after which there will be a period required for the finalisation of the review.

“There is not, and has never been, a specific deadline for certification, and any suggestions of delays to this process or potential breaches are completely unfounded – the Cost Cap Administration will formally communicate its findings according to the procedure set out in the Financial Regulations.

“The timeframe is intentionally not fixed in order not to prejudice the robustness and the effectiveness of the review.”

Red Bull notoriously breached the 2021 cost cap, incurring a $7m fine and a 10% reduction on their allotted wind tunnel time.

Lewis Hamilton was among the critics who claimed that the punishment was not severe enough.