Red Bull Racing fined £6m for Formula 1 budget cap breach

Team overspent during the 2021 season in which Max Verstappen won his first world championship

Red Bull Racing has been fined $7 million (£6.07m) for breaking the Formula 1 budget cap in 2021, Max Verstappen’s first world championship season.

The Milton Keynes-based team overspent the £118m cap by £1.86m (1.6%), documents released today confirm – a breach that the FIA, motorsport’s global governing body, has labelled as “minor”.

Red Bull has also been given a 10% cut in its permitted aerodynamic testing over the next 12 months and must pay the costs of the investigation.

The documents, part of an accepted breach agreement (ABA) in which the two parties have entered, also revealed that Red Bull had incorrectly filed that it had spent £114,293,000 – around £4m under the cap.

The team was found to have “inaccurately excluded and/or adjusted costs amounting to a total of £5,607,000”, according to the report.

Before the verdict was given, a range of penalties for Red Bull were possible: a reprimand, a deduction of drivers’ and/or constructors’ championship points, suspension from competition, increased limitations on aerodynamic testing and a reduction of the team’s future cost cap.

But as the team agreed to an ABA, only a fine has been given, and no drivers’ championship points, nor an individual future cost cap reduction, will be implemented.

Earlier this year, Williams was found guilty of a procedural breach and was fined £25,000 (£22,600).

Red Bull hasn't yet responded to the FIA’s report.

When it was announced a few weeks ago, the team said: “We note the findings by the FIA of ‘minor overspend breaches of the financial regulations’ with surprise and disappointment.

“Our 2021 submission was below the cost cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA’s findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost cap amount. 

“Despite the conjecture and positioning of others, there is of course a process under the regulations with the FIA which we will respectfully follow while we consider all the options available to us.”

*The FIA statement in full*

“Following the submission of all required documentation by all 10 Formula 1 teams, the Cost Cap Administration carried out the first ever review process under the FIA Formula 1 World Championship Financial Regulations. These new Financial Regulations are a very complex set of rules that competitors were required to adapt to for the first time. 

“Red Bull Racing was found to be in breach, however the Cost Cap Administration recognised that Red Bull Racing has acted co-operatively throughout the review process and has sought to provide additional information and evidence when requested in a timely manner, that this is the first year of the full application of the Financial Regulations and that there is no accusation or evidence that Red Bull Racing has sought at any time to act in bad faith, dishonestly or in fraudulent manner, nor has it wilfully concealed any information from the Cost Cap Administration. 

“In these circumstances, the Cost Cap Administration offered to Red Bull Racing an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA) to resolve this matter. That offer was accepted by Red Bull Racing.

“An ABA dated 26 October 2022 was therefore entered into by and between the Cost Cap Administration and Red Bull Racing pursuant to Article 6.28 of the FIA Formula 1 Financial Regulations."