"You agreed and then you don’t back down"- Former world champion hits back at Red Bull over F1 budget cap issues

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner's call to amend F1's cost cap midway through the 2022 season has been criticized by former world champion Jacques Villeneuve.

Horner has been outwardly vocal about the rising cost of inflation ever since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its subsequent impact on the operating cost of F1 teams. The current cap of $140 million is not enough to sustain a two-car team for the entire 22-race campaign, according to the Briton.

Villeneuve, however, feels all F1 teams, including Red Bull, need to honor the agreement they signed at the start of the season. Speaking in an interview with Formule 1 Magazine, the Canadian called out Horner and his Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff when asked about the cost cap situation. Villeneuve said:

“You signed, stick to it. They [Mercedes] have to patch up their car. But everyone agreed and signed up for it. And if flying then costs more, it costs more for all teams. Then just develop a little less. You agreed and then you don’t back down. The smaller teams don’t even touch it, why should they accept it? Alpine is a big manufacturer, has enough money but also sticks to it. Because they play by the rules, and they are still competitive too.”

Villeneuve, who won the title in 1997 with Williams, added, saying:

“I suspect that before the season they have already decided to look for ways to increase it. But for now, they have to stick to it, but what is the penalty if they do go over it? I don’t know. A financial penalty doesn’t work, they just swallow it. Point deductions already hurt more. If they had to give money to the others as a punishment, that would make it interesting. You are in business to win and make money. That’s the way it is with everything, that’s life. And then if you can bend the rules in such a way that you benefit from it, good on you!”

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Red Bull's Christian Horner predicts 7 teams will miss 4 races of 2022 season due to budget caps

Earlier in the season, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had predicted that as many as seven F1 teams could miss at least four races in the ongoing season if the cost cap is not amended.

Speaking in an interview after the 2022 F1 Spanish GP, Horner said:

“Seven of the teams would probably need to miss the last four races to come within the cap this year. It’s not just about the big teams. It’s teams in the middle of the field who are really struggling with inflationary issues. The FIA has a duty of care. I know they are taking it seriously. Energy bills, costs of living, costs are going exponentially, and F1 is not exempt. Freight has quadrupled and that’s not something we can control.”

Red Bull leads the World Constructors' Championship standings with 304 points heading into the 2022 F1 British GP, having won the last six races of the season consecutively.