Rumors of Max Verstappen losing 2021 F1 title after Red Bull's cost cap breach 'completely nonsense': Helmut Marko

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claims that rumors of Max Verstappen getting stripped of his 2021 title are a farce. The Austrian team has been found to be in breach of the 2021 cost cap regulations, exposing them to several possible penalties.

Speaking to Insider, the Red Bull boss simply refused to accept that the team was guilty and called the rumors 'nonsense'. He said:

"As I said: We are still not aware of any guilt, which is why discussions with the FIA are still ongoing. But rumors that Max could lose his world title in 2021, for example, are complete nonsense. The past has shown that even extreme violations of the regulations were punished very mildly by the FIA."

Notably, Red Bull's cost cap breach was leaked days ahead of the confirmation, much to the surprise of Sky expert Ralf Schumacher. He pointed out the FIA's insufficiency and claimed:

"The ladies and gentlemen of the FIA must now face a detailed investigation of how this is even possible. If Red Bull has really broken the rules, it should be punished according to its proportionality. But what the FIA did there doesn't work at all."

Apart from Schumacher, many others are not happy with the FIA's scrutiny process. The fraternity initially criticized the delay in the final report and currently demands more transparency in the ongoings.

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Ferrari boss voices his concerns over the Red Bull cost cap fiasco

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto believes that the FIA might not take strict action against Red Bull. His expectations are low from the whole debacle, and he also wishes for more transparency.

The Italian believes that the pre-decided rules shouldn't be changed for the Austrian outfit and complained:

"The rules were clear from the beginning, they were discussed. We don't understand the need to have to change them today beyond the fact that this is the first year with the budget cap. Because with the FIA, there have always been constant exchanges and we have always tried to clarify them. I am a bit pessimistic about this, but first of all, clarity and transparency from the FIA will be important."

The Austrian team is currently in discussions with the FIA over their breach and will reportedly want a resolution to the situation soon. While they have not pleaded guilty yet, it will be interesting to see how this pans out.