Red Bull's alleged cost cap scandal 'not peanuts' even if it's a minor breach, claims Ferrari boss

Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto has reflected that even a four million budget cap breach is not a 'minor' breach. He went on to explain how the overspent money could have been used by teams for more car development.

While Binotto was careful not to make judgments before the announcement, he was adamant about serious punishments. He said:

“For us, four million represents the development parts for an entire season. Four million means 70 people in a technical department who can come up with and produce solutions that could be worth up to half a second a lap. So even if we are looking at something considered a minor breach it’s not peanuts.”

Binotto further explained why calling out this move is important. He noted that the team who have breached the cap will have an advantage in the coming years, saying:

“We are talking of half a second and that advantage is carried forward into subsequent seasons, because while it began in 2021, it still gives a competitive advantage in 2022 and 2023, so this is clearly an important matter. It puts the credibility in general at stake.”

Currently, Red Bull and Aston Martin are the only two names to have emerged out of this scandal. Many, however, believe that Red Bull might have majorly overspent and might face serious repercussions.

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Ferrari boss claims Sergio Perez should've been penalized twice at Singapore 2022

Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto called out the FIA's decision to penalize Sergio Perez with just a five-second penalty. The Scuderia boss believes that Perez deserved at least two penalties because there were two infringements.

Only one penalty was imposed post-race, with Perez being able to compensate for it. Binotto, however, pointed out, saying:

“There were two infringements behind the Safety Car, so it can twice be a penalty. But we can only trust on what they decide. On the occasion of two different Safety Cars, he made the same mistake, being too far from the car. If I look at similar cases, like [Antonio] Giovinazzi in 2019, the driver was punished with five seconds and I believe the sporting regulations impose a penalty of five seconds, 10, or a drive-through.”

Red Bull were informed mid-race of the driver's failure to keep within 10-car lengths of a safety car. This allowed Perez to pull off a seven-and-a-half-second gap over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, whose tires were worn out.

He was later able to compensate for the five-second penalty this way, while Ferrari were unaware that a late penalty would be imposed.