Max Verstappen isn’t concerned about criticism his 2021 world championship win may receive in light of the controversy over Red Bull exceeding the budget cap last year.
The FIA announced earlier this month Red Bull was the only team which had exceeded the $145 million spending limit which was imposed last year, and one of three teams which had committed a “procedural” breach of the regulations. The governing body has invited Red Bull to enter an Accepted Breach Agreement under which it would admit to the violation of the rules and accept a penalty.Claims that Red Bull had breached the cap first surfaced almost a month ago. Verstappen admitted the focus on the topic has been “a bit frustrating.”
He indicated the team may have breached the cap due to a disagreement over what items were and were not included within the limit.
“From our side we feel we are not wrong,” said Verstappen, “but just some things are taken into the budget cap which are very unexpected. We’ll have to deal with it. But it’s also not up to me to decide what is right.”
Red Bull will hold a press conference at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez tomorrow to discuss the budget cap. An agreement between the team and the FIA is believed to be close.
One possible penalty for Red Bull’s breach is a reduction in the number of hours of aerodynamic development work the team is permitted to conduct for the 2023 F1 season. Verstappen refused to be drawn on how significantly that could affect the team. “We don’t know until the things are decided,” he said, “but also these things I’m not involved with.”
Last year’s world championship was decided in a controversial finale in Abu Dhabi when FIA F1 race director Michael Masi broke the rules in arranging a last-lap restart, after which Verstappen passed Lewis Hamilton to win the title. Months of recriminations followed during which Masi lost his job and the entire race control set-up was overhauled.
Verstappen expects the same people who questioned his title win last year will also seize upon the budget cap row. “They are sore anyway so it doesn’t matter what they say or what you do,” he said.
“I can [brush it off]. Probably they can’t and they will never be able to so that’s a problem for them to deal with.”
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Jake (@j4k3)
27th October 2022, 22:44
Yes, the people who were irritated the first time it became clear his championship was not won in accordance with the laws of the sport, will probably be equally as irritated the second time it became clear his championship was not won in accordance with the laws of the sport. Don’t agree there’s nothing you can do though; you can win championships in accordance with the laws of the sport.
Biker56 (@biker56)
27th October 2022, 23:26
@j4k3 – Now, come on Jake, you are going far into the realm of fantasy there. Red Handed – oops I meant Red Bull – could never behave in such a manner.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th October 2022, 3:03
Neither of the things you mentioned are something verstappen could’ve done differently: masi made that questionable decision in abu dhabi and red bull broke the cap, he drove the car he was given in the circumstances there were.
grat
28th October 2022, 3:37
Now, as a Hamilton fan who thinks Hamilton was robbed of a title in 2021, I agree with you 100%.
None of this is Verstappen’s doing.
Unfortunately for him, it does put a permanent * next to his 2021 title, especially if Wolff is to be believed that an extra $500k would have handed Mercedes the title last year regardless of Abu Dhabi.
Ruben
28th October 2022, 7:50
Well let’s not all blindly believe what Wolff says, shall we?
SteveP
28th October 2022, 8:07
He could at least try to present an appearance of being embarrassed that he hasn’t yet taken a clean title.
Some reports have the RBR “sweep it under the carpet agreement” covering a 1.8 million overspend.
Noises about 2021 catering costs have me wondering – could Masi really eat that many sandwiches?
Correct history
2021 – Hamilton’s 8th
2022 – Leclerc’s first (special mention for overcoming his team’s inept performances)
People should note that while the in-race actions of Masi, might have been a mistake, the actions of Masi and the stewards collectively post-race were not. Those actions post-race were seeking to cover up and legitimise the in-race actions. I feel the post-race actions were the real crime.
The investigation, of course, concentrated on the publicly visible in-race actions in the report. The under the carpet sweeping motions covered the post-race actions
AG
28th October 2022, 14:18
Many thanks for bringing this up, I think that this is “forgotten aspect” of the crazy mess. Masi broke the rules, but what happened afterwards was a wonder cover up that was unacceptable for a sport like this. I think it is kind of hard not to see Abu Dhabi as a whole intentional. I mean, they clearly had the chance to repair the “human error”. Instead, they went into beast mode and tried to cover up the whole incident. “Any does not mean all” was the top of it for me. I mean it is elementary school grammer and a lot of people still thinks that is valid argument. They probably did not read the whole sentence.
I get it that fanbase above all else, but if my favourite driver would be crowned as champion after such an incident, I would be deeply angry. For the good of the sport. Which is getting such less and less day by day.
drmouse (@drmouse)
28th October 2022, 7:51
While I agree that neither are Verstappen’s fault, and even putting Abu Dhabi to one side, this is a team sport. If Red Bull broke the rules, even by accident, the whole team suffer the consequences.
Craig
28th October 2022, 7:52
It’s somewhat irrelevant if he wasn’t directly responsible for either happening as he directly benefited from them. If an athlete is doped without their knowledge you don’t let them off because they were unaware.
Charlie
28th October 2022, 7:04
If I look at it objectively the 2021 season MB had a stronger car than RB. They won eventually through the decision of Masi and not through cap breach, because they did not have the strongest car. This season the cap rules are new so maybe you can explain some rules in different ways, I dont know them. I heard that some rules were adjusted by FIA after RB had turned in their financial reports. And the overspend did not go in the car development, so that all speaks for them, however almost all the other teams did manage to stay within the cap so maybe RB had to pay more attention to how the rules were ment, or ask clarification. Top notch is working there right? Or did they perhaps did it on purpose hoping to get away with it? They will accept penalties to not loose Max’s and the teams title but that still not necessarily makes them guilty. Truth lies in the middle for me. Let’s get on with the racing now please, this is taking far to long now.
stjs16 (@stjs16)
28th October 2022, 13:20
How can you say the money didn’t go into car development? Members of the RB team all contribute in some way so this notion that the overspend can be dismissed as an HR admin oversight is nonsense
Constantijn Blondel
28th October 2022, 8:54
Groundhog day is a daily thing, these days, it seems …
Jazz (@jazz)
27th October 2022, 22:46
He’s sure doing a fair amount of justification to legitimise these Mickey Mouse titles of his. Can’t ever remember Hamilton, Rosberg (x2), Fernando, Kimi, Mika, Hill(x3) etc putting this much leg work in. Legitimate champions don’t have to justify or explain away anything.
Biker56 (@biker56)
27th October 2022, 23:33
In a sense it’s a pity, as Max has IMHO shown a much more mature style this year, maybe because the car is so good, and shows great promise for the future. He’s driven really well. He’s outdriven Perez, even given the favouritism. I don’t blame him for this mess, but I do blame the team management. That’s why he’s been forced onto the defensive. It’s a shame.
SteveP
28th October 2022, 8:12
Totally agree.
Even as a decidedly not fan of Max, I was prepared to note that he was winning the WDC hands down until I found out that RBR had blatantly overspent and therefore had no legitimate claim to any title with that car.
slowmo (@slowmo)
28th October 2022, 14:19
@biker56 I wouldn’t get too far ahead of yourself, as soon as he has a genuine contender to his car he’ll return to his usual poor sportsmanship. He’s not really had a challenger this year bar the first few races before Ferrari imploded.
Robert (@rob8k)
27th October 2022, 22:47
Who is applying the rules here. Why are teams holding meetings with the governing body and agreeing with what penalty they receive? If a rule is broken then apply a penalty to that rule upon which the team has no say in whatsoever. Can you imagine the outcry if McLaren got to agree on a penalty after spygate.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
27th October 2022, 22:59
@rob8k It is fairly common, for breaches of both the technical and sporting regulations. For example Ferrari negotiated a deal with the FIA following the exposure of its engine rule violations in 2019 – the details have never been made public but, given the drop in power unit performance the following year, there must have been a significant penalty. And Lewis Hamilton also negotiated his fine for not attending the FIA Gala after losing the 2021 WDC, ensuring the money went towards projects he was personally supportive of.
Steve
27th October 2022, 23:06
LH was not awarded the 2021 WDC after the FIA breached their own regulations so maybe a little give back was in order.
MichaelN
27th October 2022, 23:53
The rules are that they can reach an agreement. It’s not explicitly preferred, but it’s quite normal for two parties to try to settle without going through the drama of further investigations. This doesn’t mean Red Bull can’t then still be penalized for breaking the budget cap, although points deductions for 2021 are indeed off the table in case of an agreement. Whether or not Red Bull is confident enough to avoid an agreement is doubtful, seeing as how even Horner had to admit in Texas that they were way over budget.
As an aside, McLaren was also involved in resolving their 2007 cheating, which is one of the reasons the drivers escaped disqualification and McLaren was able to deduct the missed constructor’s championship money from their fine (the $100 million was always a fictitious number meant to impress the outside world).
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th October 2022, 3:07
I don’t think he admitted they were way over budget, didn’t he say only a few hundred k?
SteveP
28th October 2022, 8:17
1. They have admitted it – that’s the first requirement of the hush, hush agreement
2. Is 18 “a few”? Possibly for some, definitely for Horner.
Optimaximal (@optimaximal)
27th October 2022, 23:54
@rob8k They’re not ‘negotiating their punishment’. They’ve been told by the FIA that they either accept the ruling that they broke the rules and must take the fine laid out or they can take it to court.
Whilst there’s a chance for a win here, there’s also a chance of a much harsher penalty, which may even extend to reviewing the ’21 standings.
grat
28th October 2022, 3:38
Why do plea deals and out-of-court settlements exist?
Because the alternative tends to be drawn out and expensive for both parties.
whocaresaboutallofthis
28th October 2022, 11:36
Well maybe we should retire RBR and throw them out of the F1. Then Merc and Fer will be happy they can split the championships between them till 2026. Seems like a good solution for F1. Or do we look further back and see why Merc had some pre info about enige and rules before the hybride aria and take away their titles too? Forca Ferarri :)
Jim from US (@jimfromus)
27th October 2022, 23:52
Rules were broken and we won but we would have won even if we didn’t break the rules.
-Signed Red Bull
p.s. We plan to keep breaking the rules. We have 2 of the 10 teams in F1 and they can’t lose us.
MichaelN
27th October 2022, 23:57
Someone would snatch those teams up for a good price. Red Bull is just a few senior figures and the name on the building.
That said, it’s high time the FIA forces Red Bull to sell one of their outfits. One team shouldn’t effectively have four cars.
SteveP
28th October 2022, 8:21
Quite likely. A fast way in for people sniffing around the door.
Andretti Racing
Porsche
There you go, two satisfied customers. I dare say Porsche would be more than satisfied at getting over 50% of RBR.
Kribana (@krichelle)
28th October 2022, 0:57
Sorry, but this is really the only time I consider a championship with an asterisk on it. Any breaking of the rules immediately puts an asterisk on that championship. We can lose a championship on crashes, reliability and mistakes, but not on violation of rules. Sad because Verstappen has truly driven exceptional last year and this year he has clearly shown the difference between himself and Perez. The FIA are in a lose- lose situation here like Rosberg said. Remove points from last year’s championship, and they damage the image of the sport, and unpenalizing Red Bull appropriately to the teams eyes will result in teams likely inclined replicate the action done by Red Bull. The biggest mistake was to put the 5% allowance.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
28th October 2022, 3:12
IMO the biggest mistake was not establishing a punishment for minor and major breaches BEFORE the season started.
Todfod (@todfod)
28th October 2022, 7:53
@esploratore1
Agree 100%. There should have been penalties decided when forming the rule. Not this ad hoc nonsense that they keep coming up with, which makes a decision subjective.
drmouse (@drmouse)
28th October 2022, 8:07
Completely agreed. The more I saw, the more I think there should be a defined penalty for every rule breach. The officials must apply that penalty for breaking the rule, with two options available from there: the offender can appeal and prove they didn’t break it, so have the penalty removed, or another party can appeal that they still gained an advantage to get it increased by an independent adjudication committee.
Having so much flexibility in the rules which which penalties are handed out and when is a massive part of the inconsistency problem we have been studying from in F1 for so many years.
F1 frog (@f1frog)
28th October 2022, 9:51
I would say there are a few more controversial championships. The most obvious example would be Michael Schumacher in 1994. Partly due to the collision with Damon Hill in Adelaide but mainly because Benetton were probably using illegal traction control, but the FIA could not prove it. They instead attempted to make up for this by penalising Schumacher excessively for other incidents, making the whole season a bit silly.
Then there would also be John Surtees in 1964, as his teammate Lorenzo Bandini took out Graham Hill in the final race of the season which allowed Surtees to win the title, although it is unlikely it was deliberate.
You could argue that Senna should have been champion in 1989 and Prost in 1990 as in each case the real champion deliberately collided with their rival to do it, although Senna’s crime in 1990 was far worse than Prost’s from 1989.
Both Nelson Piquet’s Brabham titles are also controversial, the 1983 one because the fuel may have been illegal, although this is uncertain, and the 1981 title because the car would drop below the minimum ride height when at speed due to extra pressure on the car, but would return to that legal height when stationary for scrutineering. But that one was so genius that I think Brabham deserve the title anyway.
James Hunt in 1976 is another controversial one due to the overturning of the disqualification in Spain, but I think both that and his disqualification in Brands Hatch were difficult calls and as one went his way and one went against him, I think it is probably okay.
BW (@deliberator)
28th October 2022, 1:52
An no clearer is Verstappen’s point substantiated than it is here – all the sore whingers who still can’t get over the fact he has won two championships…
grat
28th October 2022, 3:42
You know, just because you don’t like the accusation, doesn’t make us “sore”. It means we know what the rules were, and we know they weren’t followed by Masi, or Red Bull.
Your opinions, and your apparent attitude that cheating is OK, are irrelevant to the actual facts.
S
28th October 2022, 5:35
@deliberator doesn’t make any mention of the happenings of last season, the rules, the budget cap, the teams or the Race Director – only that:
Which, as you’ve clearly demonstrated, is completely true.
Verstappen has won 2 championships, and that won’t ever change. Fact.
SteveP
28th October 2022, 8:27
Nope.
Accepting a gift in Abu Dhabi does not constitute a win.
Driving a car where the rules were breached to develop it does not constitute a win.
For reference, Lance Armstrong did not keep any of the titles once the sporting authorities discovered the method of cheating.
I look forward to Max making a legitimate bid to win his first championship in 2023. A three-way team battle involving six drivers should be interesting.
S
28th October 2022, 9:00
So you are expecting change?
Good luck with that.
Oh, I get it now. You are referring to your own personal, private list of F1 winners and how legitimate each one was to you.
Sorry for interrupting – you go back to your fantasy.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th October 2022, 13:13
Yes, and Putin has won every election in Russia. He’s the democratically, cough, elected leader of the Russia.
What’s your point?
S
28th October 2022, 13:16
What’s yours?
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th October 2022, 13:18
I guess you didn’t have one.
S
28th October 2022, 13:44
Kinda self-explanatory, I’d have thought.
The circumstances surrounding them are completely irrelevant. To paraphrase the other posts – ‘sore losers’ will ‘whinge about it’ apparently thinking that doing so will somehow change the fact.
But it won’t.
Your turn, @freelittlebirds.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
28th October 2022, 9:05
If Red Bull broke the budget cap by £7m, that’s an overspend of approx. 6%.
Now imagine they had overfuelled by 6% in every race.
Now do you get it?!
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
28th October 2022, 9:09
Even if it’s a £1.8m overspend, as some papers are reporting, that’s still more than 1.5% over budget.
Again, imagine the significance of over-fuelling by 1.5%.
Small margins make a big difference.
S
28th October 2022, 9:38
Sporting regulations are not technical regulations.
Breaches are, and have always been, handled differently.
BW (@deliberator)
28th October 2022, 11:33
Indeed. It appears as though many commentators here fail to understand that there are two different sets of regulations.
E.g., One set for touching another car’s rear wing, and one set for running an illegal rear wing.
BW (@deliberator)
28th October 2022, 11:36
Overfuelling is a moot point. There is a fuel limit, and fuel flow sensors. This would be easily detected.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th October 2022, 13:17
@deliberator which makes cost cap breaches with their multi season performance improvements all the more enticing. Once you win the championships, it’s hard to strip you off your championships for several years without the governing authority also being partly to blame for failing to apply the penalty sooner.
Isn’t this the situation that Red Bull has PUT the sport IN?
S
28th October 2022, 13:46
All of the teams and the FIA collectively created this possibility.
They all worked together to create these rules from scratch, and this is what they agreed on.
But you go ahead and put it all on Red Bull.
slowmo (@slowmo)
28th October 2022, 14:24
This situation is entirely on Red Bull as the ONLY team that breached the budget cap. Nobody else is to blame for the situation they’re in other than themselves. They clearly maximised every last area of the budget and left no room for error, that’s on them.
However had the FIA simply stated that a bare minimum punishment of breaching the budget would be exclusion from the WDC and WCC then I guarantee no team would even have taken the chance of breaking it.
kartguy07 (@kartguy07)
28th October 2022, 2:49
Max probably knows about as much of the detail as anyone here, so I’m not sure why he’s even bothering to comment.
Cronies
28th October 2022, 6:04
Obviously you very new to F1 – just read up a little how Bennetton manipulated the rules for Schumacher’s first championship, much less the crash in the finale. Just one example of many examples… never seen a asterisks on any of these championships…..
If anyone believes Wolf’s 500k claim, wow….
Fred Fedurch
28th October 2022, 7:38
You could have stopped after typing If anyone believes Wolff
Todfod (@todfod)
28th October 2022, 7:56
Dude.. the biggest asterisk on any championship currently is Schumacher’s 1994 WDC win. Its besides the point that asterisks fade away with time, but every true F1 fan knows about Benetton’s illegal launch system and Schumacher’s intentional crash in to Hill.
RomTrain (@romtrain)
28th October 2022, 9:18
+1
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
28th October 2022, 12:10
Yeah, even if there was a fraction of doubt over how deliberate that crash was at that time, Jerez 1997 eliminated all doubt from anyone’s mind.
kartguy07 (@kartguy07)
29th October 2022, 8:04
What on earth have Benetton and Schumacher have to do with whether Max Verstappen understands the Red Bull accounts?
slowmo (@slowmo)
28th October 2022, 14:25
He’s a driver with press commitments so he answered it from his perspective. Clearly he’s not going to know the detail of Red Bulls finances.
kartguy07 (@kartguy07)
29th October 2022, 8:10
@slowmo
My point exactly, I don’t understand why he felt the need to comment beyond saying it’s not his area.
HC
28th October 2022, 4:35
Simply simply lovely
Mayrton
28th October 2022, 6:35
Another article to keep encouraging the separation of the fans. Its not just FIA destroying this sport
mia
28th October 2022, 7:30
Agree not only this article. It is Red Bull too. It is their determination to win at all costs, from threatening to quit F1 if rules don’t change to their advantage, to put down its partners in public rows, to influencing Masi for the win, to allowing its drivers to cheat on track and be rude to others. Plus, driven by Christian Horner whose rivalry with Toto includes the need for him to be seen as an effective executive in and out of F1. Let’s not try to detract from the main discussion, Max Verstappen is very willing to drive a winning car no matter how much cheating involved in producing the car. MV is willing to claim that kudos regardless of the shame attached to it. MV’s reaction is “Just shut your mouth” – he does not want to know or acknowledge or is it denial that his championship is empty? And everyone thinks he is so good. So far, it is only because of the car produced by over-spending and on track cheating. Let’s not detract that regardless of fans being divided or otherwise.
Mayrton
28th October 2022, 11:53
You proved my point. These articles seem to certainly work on you. Entitled to your view you certainly are and I couldn’t agree less.
Mia
29th October 2022, 7:21
And you have proved that you have no defense for the cheating champion.
WHITEDOG
28th October 2022, 11:54
Exactly
slowmo (@slowmo)
28th October 2022, 14:27
Reporting is what the site is about, not trying to hide Verstappen’s rough PR approach. Had Verstappen not brought up the sore fans comment then it doesn’t fuel the press to write these arguments. You’re moaning at the wrong people.
grapmg
28th October 2022, 7:36
So we have a press conf today to be announced RB and FIA reached an agreement. Sore people will be sore people nothing Max can do about it and we don’t really care. All we know is Max won the WDC in a car that was not the dominant car that year and nothing will change that.
Craig
28th October 2022, 7:59
The Red Bull was the better car in 2021, which we know was built beyond budget. When it mattered he wasn’t good enough and needed Masi intervened. That will always be the facts of 2021.
Ruben
28th October 2022, 8:32
Et voìla: another comment section doing their very best to underline Verstappen’s point.
slowmo (@slowmo)
28th October 2022, 14:30
And another comment section full of defenders trying to whitewash last years championship.
Bojangles
28th October 2022, 9:25
Fantastic comments with this posting. Racefans, please continue to bring up these kind of subjects. It is such a joy to read the frustration and denial of the Lewis fans, it always makes my day. Now with the (minor) cost cap breach, they have found a new argument to deny the extraordinary qualities of Max. They really think that if Red Bull had spent 1,2% less in 2021, Max would not have won his both titles. Sure, dream on I would say..
I think the dominance that Max shows in the 2022 season, in not the quickest car on the grid, sweeps away all these false allegations easily. Put Max in a Ferrari and he would also win the 2022 championship. And for Lewis… Well we saw at COTA that once Max passed him, Lewis started to make mistakes (breaking error lock up) and therefore he could not follow, whereas Max was flawless. A true champion.
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
28th October 2022, 9:35
Er, if Masi had correctly applied the rules, Max would NOT have won in 2021, overspend or no overspend!
Bojangles
28th October 2022, 9:56
Just what I mean, constant denial of the facts..
Sonny Crockett (@sonnycrockett)
28th October 2022, 10:19
FACTS:
Masi did make mistake with title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP restart, Horner admits
“In its summary the FIA noted Masi made two mistakes: He “called the safety car back into the pit lane without it having completed an additional lap as required by the Formula 1 Sporting Regulations” and did not allow all of the lapped cars to rejoin the lead lap.”
Court Willems
28th October 2022, 10:43
Masi also failed to let lapped cars unlap themselves 2 laps earlier by posting the incorrect message “lapped cars may NOT overtake”.
So all Masi did was correct his earlier error, if the first error wasn’t made the 2nd error never needed to be made, all cars would have unlapped themsleves and the safety car would have come in before the last lap.
Mercedes simply failed on strategy by not pitting Lewis either during VSC or SC. Given the far superior speed and car Hamilton should easily have overtaken Max, he nearly did on worn tyres so much was the overspeed of the Mercedes at the end of 2021.
Niki101
28th October 2022, 10:56
@sonnywhiner
is that the same Horner who thought Lewis should have been disqualified for him ramming Max off track?
Seems important since apparently his word is gospel.
Speaking to Channel 4 he added: “I think it was a desperate move. He failed to make the move in the first part of the lap, which he was obviously geared to do, and then it was just a desperate move sticking a wheel up the inside which you just don’t do. Copse is one of the fastest corners in the world. You don’t stick a wheel up the inside. That’s just dirty driving.”
Bojangles
28th October 2022, 12:41
Fact: Max is the 2021 (and 2022) WDC, and this is the only relevant fact. If you think Masi made a mistake, the only reasonable solution would have been to nullify the complete race result and Max would still be the champion. A championship is won over the complete season, not just one race.
Andy (@andyfromsandy)
28th October 2022, 12:23
The fact is we don’t know how each car uses its tyres. We don’t know what the mechanical grip is for each car.
What we do know is the ORBR is quite a bit faster than the Merc so it would seem inevitable that when the Merc is behind the ORBR and Lewis is trying to keep up it is a losing battle ultimately.
The same thing for the Ferrari. It is not good on tyres. Great for qualifying but suffers in the race. Charles couldn’t keep pace with Lewis and was nowhere in comparison to Verstappen.
I highly doubt with the way the teams have performed over the year that Verstappen would be winning in the Ferrari.
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
28th October 2022, 12:15
I mean, if the rules had been applied properly many decisions throughout the season would have been different. Going all the way back to the season opener where Lewis was allowed to run wide for half the race and gain an unfair advantage.
2021 was a mess of a season throughout in terms of race direction, not just that final race.
Mayrton
28th October 2022, 11:58
It is quite enjoyable to see this continuous whining. And we are just about getting ready for the next round once the cost cap debate comes to a verdict and press release. We will have at least 2 months of sour whining ahead of us. Bring it, it wont change any statistic and this niche groups voice will deter over time. Please look after your health all out there that are not able to move on.
slowmo (@slowmo)
28th October 2022, 14:31
And the mask comes off
Andy (@andyfromsandy)
28th October 2022, 10:39
Unfortunately one fact is the rules were created and approved by all the teams. Some teams are now not liking the consequences of their own actions.
The accepting of an ABA allows Verstappen the assuredness to say what he likes about the 2021 WDC knowing it can’t be taken away with a points deduction.
rsp123 (@rsp123)
28th October 2022, 12:02
Red Bull gained an unfair advantage – for a big chunk of last season. There must be a sporting penalty. If the overspend was deliberate the penalty must be large. If the overspend was a mistake the penalty might be less. But a significant penalty there must be, or else other big teams will simply buy advantage and consider any penalty a cost of business.
S
28th October 2022, 13:04
Did they? Can you quantify what that advantage was?
No doubt they spent more money than other teams – but I’ll bet you can’t actually provide any evidence whatsoever that it lead to any kind of advantage, on the track or off it.
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
28th October 2022, 13:32
Lol, so the only way to impose a penalty is if the FIA can prove that Red Bull gained an advantage? Ha-ha! They don’t have to do that.
We overspent but can you prove that any of it went towards performance? Nope! We win!!! Ha-ha!
Now witness the power of this illegal and fully operational Red Bull team as we break every record winning races! Pathetic Jedi!
S
28th October 2022, 13:54
That’s right, they don’t – because they can’t prove any advantage either. That’d be a potential consequence and not what penalties are based on, for this very reason.
I didn’t refer to the FIA or any potential punishment for gaining an advantage – I simply responded to the assertion that Red Bull gained an advantage simply by spending more.
I even clarified that Red Bull has broken a sporting (financial) regulation (and that’s what any punishment will be based on) but that nobody can prove that they gained any advantage on or off track.
billyweb88
28th October 2022, 14:10
I’m with Max on this one, all the sore losers can just go and …. … deal with it.
BW (@deliberator)
28th October 2022, 23:55
I think you are giving too much credit to the sore losers capacity to “deal” with it. They’ve proven for almost 11 months straight that it pain is not going away any time soon…
1313
28th October 2022, 14:29
Max also lost about 25-18 points at the 2021 British GP, due to Hamilton crashing him out. Lewis only lost 7 points, at the last race controversy of 2021. Red Bull got the worst of it, and still won. So let’s move on