"Nobody doubts that he was a champion of '21"- Sebastian Vettel feels it'd be 'stupid' to take away Max Verstappen's 2021 points

Sebastian Vettel is positive that the FIA will not give Max Verstappen a points deduction (from the 2021 season) as punishment for Red Bull breaching the cost cap from the previous season. He believes that doing so would be "stupid." He told the media,

"Maybe you have a point or not, but I think nobody doubts that he was a champion of '21."

Ever since Red Bull have been found guilty of breaching the cost cap implemented in F1 last year, it has been speculated that the team and Max Verstappen will have to face hefty penalties as punishment.

There have been quite a few suggestions by fans and analysts as to what the penalty should be. But one of the most remote and ironically most speculated ones is a reduction in points from the 2021 season or a complete disqualification.

This would mean that Lewis Hamilton will be crowned as the champion. However, it is most unlikely to happen.

Along with Red Bull, Aston Martin was also found guilty of the same. Although the FIA has not revealed what the penalty will be, Sebastian Vettel feels that they should be transparent and quick with the decision.

"Yeah, I think on that stuff, the FIA should come out and make it, very clear, very quick or very soon, because obviously, that's a bit stupid."

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Vettel believes that the FIA should be transparent in making a decision for Red Bull and Max Verstappen

Sebastian Vettel suggests that the FIA should be more transparent while making any decision, otherwise it could lead to a lot of speculation.

Currently, the exact areas of overspending by the team are unknown, and hence there have been speculations about the same. Many believe that the overspend was not on the car but on the catering, and so the team should only be given a monetary penalty, keeping Max Verstappen away from trouble. However, the exact cause is still largely unknown. This is why Vettel believes that the FIA should be transparent.

"I think the best [thing] will be to be transparent so that everybody can see what happened. But otherwise, you just have a lot of people talking and speculating and I think we're past that era."

While Max Verstappen's 2021 title is largely safe with him, the team's penalty is still under question. Zak Brown had earlier written a letter to the FIA suggesting a sporting penalty instead of a fine to any of the teams that breached the cost cap. Drivers like Carlos Sainz & Valtteri Bottas, too, believe that a tough penalty should be given.