Red Bull Racing F1 team principal Christian Horner insists there is ‘no profit’ on track for alleged budget cap breaches, and is working with FIA to resolve dispute .
Red Bull is now in a potential ABA (Accepted Breach Agreement) with the FIA after it was revealed last week that the team breached the $145 million cost cap for 2021. Red Bull are discussing a settlement.
Red Bull vehemently denied exceeding the budget cap, but said rivals had called for tougher measures as budget overruns could affect the results being clarified.
During Saturday’s FIA press conference for Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix, Christian Horner refuted suggestions that the success of 2021 and this year was likely due to budget overruns, saying it would depend on the interpretation of the costs involved. .
“We are discussing with the FIA what those costs are and what might alleviate the situation,” said Horner.
“The way we operate under the cap, there was no benefit from a development perspective or an operational perspective for 2021 or 2022. Our bid is well below the cap.”
“Like the new rulemaking process, we anticipated that some issues would potentially require clarification or clarification. Based on the 52-page document that governs this, we have been very clear.”
“So we absolutely and categorically don’t feel that there was an advantage in 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024. And some teams are even talking about 2026, it’s completely fictional.”
During the press conference, Horner also expressed his displeasure with rival team bosses who have lodged allegations against Red Bull, including McLaren boss Zak Brown.
Brown sent a letter to the FIA clarifying McLaren’s position on the cost cap breach, not naming Red Bull but referring to “a team found guilty of minor overpayment and procedural breaches”. He said the budget overrun was clear misconduct and should warrant serious financial and stadium penalties.
Christian Horner said the letter was “very disappointing” and “absolutely shocking” about allegations of wrongdoing by another team without all the information.
“We’ve seen letters from Zak that haven’t been copied,” Horner said.
“The accusations of fraud are shocking. It is absolutely shocking that another competitor could make such accusations without knowing the facts and details.”
“We are being tried on public charges from Singapore.
“The figures published in the media are far from reality. They harm brands, partners, drivers and employees.”
In fact, Horner claimed McLaren’s “fictitious allegations” to Red Bull led to the bullying of team members and their children.
“In the era of mental health epidemics, we are seeing a significant problem among our employees: their children are being bullied on the playground,” explained Christian Horner.
“It’s not fair, because of fictitious allegations from other teams. Without facts and substance, you can’t make such allegations.”
“So we are really appalled by the actions of our competitors.”
In response to Christian Horner’s scathing attack, Zak Brown took a stand.
“My letter says if anyone, a team, spends more than the cap, they get an advantage,” Brown said.
“Caps are rules, no different from technical rules in sport. We have no idea what they did or didn’t do. ‘If someone breaks, here’s what to do.’ It’s a way of thinking, and it’s no different than when the ride height isn’t right or you have a flexi wing or something like that.”
“You didn’t mention any teams, but that was the general reaction. Now that we’re in the era of cost caps, we think there would be ramifications if someone broke it.”
“We don’t know the numbers, we don’t know the details. If we could spend more money, we would get better lights and better performance.”
“We think there is a performance benefit if someone spends more than the allocated cost cap. It’s up to the FIA to decide if there is.”
Red Bull is currently suffering from a reduction in wind tunnel test time for 2023 and is said to be in talks with the FIA over an approved ABA, including fines and sporting sanctions. However, Red Bull is believed to still be contesting the FIA’s interpretation of the cost cap submission.
Christian Horner spoke to FIA President Mohammed bin Sulayem in Austin about the matter and said he hoped the matter could be resolved soon, but if the process dragged on beyond the potential of the BA, warned it could last for months.
If the FIA and Red Bull fail to reach an agreement, it will be referred to the F1 Cost Cap Arbitration Committee.
“We’ve been in the process and been back and forth with the FIA for about ten days,” said Horner.
“We were hoping to resolve it by the end of this week, so hopefully it will be resolved by the end of this week. If that doesn’t happen, the next process will be at the cost cap management committee. , and beyond is the International Court of Appeal.
“So there is the possibility of extending it for another six to nine months, but that is not our intention. We hope to resolve it in 2021. I think we had a healthy and productive discussion with the FIA.
“We hope to be able to reach a conclusion in the near future.”
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