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The World Motorsport Council has issued a statement on Saturday after several reports claimed an F1 budget cap breach by two teams. It said that necessary actions will be taken if any such breach is found after the governing body completes its analysis of the data submitted by all teams. Notably, Red Bull and Aston Martin have been accused of breaching the F1 budget cap which was introduced last year.
If FIA finds these accusations to be true, the two teams can face severe action ranging from a financial penalty to exclusion and suspension from championships. F1 introduced a budget cap last year in the hope of levelling the playing field among teams and making the sport more sustainable. It was set at $145 million in 2021 and reduced to $140 million for the following year, although some adjustments have been made to account for additional races and inflation.
"The FIA is currently finalising the assessment of the 2021 financial data submitted by all Formula One teams. Alleged breaches of the financial regulations, if any, will be dealt with according to the formal process set out in the regulations,” said FIA in a statement on Saturday. It further spoke about the reports about this possible breach and reiterated that the assessment is underway.
“The FIA notes significant and unsubstantiated speculation and conjecture in relation to this matter and reiterates that the assessment is ongoing and due process will be followed without consideration to any external discussion,” it added. Notably, F1's governing body is expected to announce its analysis of the team's 2021 financial data next week, which will reveal if there were any breaches of the cost cap last year.
It’s worth mentioning that if the accusation comes out to be true, Red Bull’s and Max Verstappen’s championship win last year which was already surrounded by controversy due to the way FIA race director Michael Masi dealt with a last-lap safety car restart at the final race, will be in question again.