Red Bull claims to be 'below the cost cap limit' after FIA releases F1 breach report

Red Bull has disputed the 2021 F1 budget breach report released by the FIA. The team put out a statement on Twitter denying that they exceeded the budget cap last season.

"We note the findings by the FIA of 'Minor Overspend Breaches of the Financial Regulations' with surprise and disappointment. Our 2021 submission was below the Cost Cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA's findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 Cost Cap amount. Despite the conjecture and positioning of others, there is of course a process under the regulations with the FIA which we will respectfully follow while we consider all the options available to us."

Red Bull claimed to be surprised and disappointed by the report's release, which stated that the team had exceeded the budget cap by less than 5%. The official F1 website reported:

"Red Bull have committed a Procedural Breach and a Minor Financial Overspend (less than 5% of the cost cap), according to the FIA."

The team reiterated their position that their submission was below the cost cap limit and that they will be reviewing the findings of the FIA to prove that the costs were under the 2021 cost cap amount of $145 million.

The FIA also noted that since this was the first year of implementing the budget cap, the committee had only reviewed the submissions made by the competitors and that no full formal regulations were launched. The FIA stated:

"The FIA would also note that with respect to this first year of the application of the Financial Regulations the intervention of the FIA Cost Cap Administration has been limited to reviewing the submissions made by the Competitors and that no full formal investigations were launched."

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Aston Martin also implicated with Red Bull in cost cap breach report

Aston Martin was also reported to have broken the cost cap limit, according to the FIA report. The report stated that Aston Martin had made a procedural breach of the cost cap. Procedural breaches and minor overspend can lead to financial penalties and/or minor sporting penalties. Since a full formal investigation has not been launched, it is expected that both teams will keep their championship standings. The FIA will be deciding on the punishments for the two teams in due time. The FIA stated:

"The FIA Cost Cap Administration is currently determining the appropriate course of action to be taken under the Financial Regulations with respect to Aston Martin and Red Bull and further information will be communicated in compliance with the Regulations."