Drivers have shared their opinions on the developing saga surrounding the three teams which did not receive Certificates of Compliance for last year’s Formula 1 Financial Regulations.
Red Bull, Williams, and Aston Martin were all found to have either breached the cost cap or had procedural issues with their submissions.
The former is the most significant, with the FIA claiming Red Bull overspent the allowed $145 million. That comes despite Christian Horner’s team claiming its submission was well under the limit.
The outcome of that finding is unknown, with tensions within the paddock beginning to reach boiling point over the matter.
Ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, a number of drivers were quizzed on their opinions.
“I think every team and every driver we just want clarity, first of all, and second, fairness” began Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz.
“We all know how much 1-2-3-4, I don’t know what the number millions can make to car development and car speed in Formula 1 – that’s why years ago, everyone was spending $350 million, or the top three teams were spending $350 million and now we’re spending 150 to keep these things under control.
“I just hope that if there’s a penalty, the penalty is relatively important to take the appetite away from overspending $2 or $3 million to waste on next year’s car because you think next year’s car is worth more than the other year, and then you take a penalty for it.
“I just think it needs to be fair play for everyone and if there’s a cost cap, it’s there to be followed, and I just hope that the FIA takes the right decisions to make sure that everyone follows it.”
Sainz’s view was echoed by Valtteri Bottas, who was racing for Mercedes throughout the 2021 season, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton losing out to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ title though his team still clinched the constructors’ crown.
“I feel like, you know, rules are the rules and if you don’t follow them there should be a penalty,” the Finn opined.
“That really hurts because, like Carlos said, you don’t want anyone to have the appetite to maximise something for one year and risking with the budget cap.
“I personally hope that it’s going to be a strict and harsh penalty because shouldn’t happen. Rules are the rules.
“There’s many rules in F1 and there should be not any difference in terms of the penalty. Let’s hope that it’s a penalty that really, really hurts them because, like I said, I was in the fight last year for the constructors’ – yes we got that, but we missed the drivers’ title by a few points, and a few millions, it can make a big, big difference.”
Though Red Bull has officially remained silent since the FIA’s announcement, Sergio Perez did toe the company line when asked for his view.
“We believe that we are in line and we believe that everything will come up in the right solution,” he said.
“Obviously I will leave it down to my team to solve that together with the FIA, but at the end of the day, there’s always teams that want to take performance out of you, especially when you are winning.
“So it’s part of the sport, and this has been forever.
“At the end of the day, facts will come out and people will see and understand the situation.”
Hamilton is arguably the most aggrieved individual as a result of Red Bull’s overspend, given he lost out on the drivers’ title to Verstappen on the final lap of the final race of the 2021 season.
“There’s nothing I can say that would be beneficial, it’ll be on the assumption of what may or may not happen, so I’m not giving it any energy,” Hamilton began when he was asked for his thoughts on the matter.
I think it’s the integrity of the sport is, right now, where I think the decisions that hopefully will be made.
“I do believe that Mohammed [Ben Sulayem, FIA President] and his team will make the right decisions. I have to believe that, want to give them the benefit of the doubt, naturally.
“I’m looking at how I can win another championship,” he added.
“I have my own opinions of what we did as a team, and how we did it last year, and I’m really proud of that.
“I do think the sport needs to do something about this so in the future, otherwise, if it’s quite relaxed, if they relax with these rules, then all the teams would just go over and spend millions more.
“And then only having a slap on the wrist is obviously not going to be great for the sport – they might as well not have a cost cap in future.”
The latest development comes at an awkward time for Formula 1 as it arrives back in the United States, the scene of arguably its lowest hour in 2005 when only six cars took the race start.
Things have improved significantly since then and organisers in Austin this weekend are predicting a record crowd of 440,000.
Alongside the ongoing cost cap saga is the concern that was sparked when a recovery vehicle was on track during the Japanese Grand Prix, much to the disgust of the drivers.
It has made for two weeks of negative headlines for the sport, with potentially more to follow.
“I don’t think the sport’s trying to make mistakes,” Hamilton reasoned.
“We’re going to continue, over the years, to be coming up against things and hurdles.
“But I do think when we talk about integrity, integrity is how we navigate through those whilst keeping the core values while being transparent and being true to the values of this what the sport and regulations have put there to be policed.
“It is a bit of a confusing time, it can be a confusing time for fans. Without the fans, the sport is nothing. So, I think we’ve just got to hold on to those values.”
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