Image: CHRISTIAN BRUNA (POOL)
Red Bull has won all ten races so far this Formula 1 season, eight of them world championship leader Max Verstappen. The series has long degenerated into a one-man show. The dominance of the racing team is overwhelming and will probably prevail again on Sunday at the Grand Prix at the Hungaroring (3 p.m., live ServusTV and Sky) thanks to new updates on the car. But behind the scenes, things are brewing in Formula 1. Dark clouds are gathering due to a new suspicion of financial fraud.
In the midst of renewed rumors about breaches of the spending limit by at least two teams, managing director Stefano Domenicali warned the world association to impose severe sanctions. “I want the penalty in case of an infringement to be sporting,” said the Italian. The fact that Verstappen’s Red Bull team is dominating this season despite a penalty imposed last year for violating the financial rules makes the debate about the budget limit even more heated.
Reports about alleged trickery in the budget cover hit Formula 1 at a sore point before the Hungarian guest appearance this weekend. The specialist portal “motorsport.com” wants to know about three racing teams that spent more than allowed last year. “Auto, Motor und Sport” reports on two teams.
The world association and Formula 1 had long argued about the budget limit, and it came into effect in 2021 at a rate of $145 million per season at the time. The example of the industry leader Red Bull, of all things, fuels doubts about the effectiveness of the set of rules. The team was fined around $7 million for overspending by $1.8 million. “From my point of view it was not a penalty. It was very low,” said Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur. The case kept the racing series in suspense for weeks last year. The sanction could not stop the employer of world champion Verstappen, on the contrary.
exam until the end of July
And so many a competitor could think that a calculated breach of the budget rules could be worthwhile if the sanction doesn’t hurt that much. There are still plenty of gray areas, the world association FIA now wants to take further action against them. The first phase of the test should be completed by the end of July, followed by follow-up examinations of suspect teams.
Possible sanctions range from a warning to point deductions, the partial exclusion from race weekends and a lower budget limit for the transferred team. Domenicali is pushing for the process to be completed quickly. “I’m just saying that because that way it doesn’t lead to speculation and statements that aren’t good for anyone.”
Source: Nachrichten
