One of the elements that is most at the center of numerous discussions in the Formula 1 paddock is the budget cap. The maximum spending cap that each team must respect by the end of the season has sparked several complaints since its introduction, with la FIA which carries out in-depth investigations every year on the expenses made by each individual team during the previous year.
Looking back at the punishment inflicted on Red Bull
Last year, what unleashed the Circus was the Red Bull issue. The FIA confirmed that the Milton Keynes team exceeded the budget cap by 5%, choosing to punish him with a 10% reduction in the wind tunnel and a very heavy fine. This sanction did not in fact satisfy everyone in the paddock: several teams expressed their dissent in the face of a penalty defined as too light for a top team like Red Bull - and with hindsight it is also difficult to blame.
One of the main supporters of this idea is Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur who, in an exclusive interview given to "La Gazzetta dello Sport", expressed his opinion on the topic of budget cap"Generally speaking, I can say that last year's punishment wasn't harsh enough and if it were to happen again this time it would have to be much more drastic. If I consider that the technical advantage translates into a sporting advantage, the punishment must be sporting, not a fine".
Vasseur tough on budget cap: "If there is an irregularity, a drastic punishment is needed"
For Vasseur there are no doubts. The punishment given to Red Bull was not enough"The 10% cut in wind tunnel work is a joke. You've already done the big work and what you don't use for aerodynamics you can spend working on saving weight and more. If another irregularity were found, a drastic punishment would be needed, for 2024, a one-year ban or something similar. We know it's difficult to manage your budget cap but we have perfect systems to control what you spend. Finally, when in doubt you can ask the FIA".
“Even 5% is a big inflation: I'll explain why”
One of the reasons given by the Federation for the "lightly heavy" punishment imposed on Red Bull is linked to a budget overrun of no more than 5%. Also on this aspect, Vasseur has a different interpretation"A 5% infraction isn't small, it's big. You have a budget set at 135 million, 80 comes out just for staff, then around twenty costs for the races, building 4 cars at the start of the season is worth another 20 and there are further items. In the end you are between 120 and 125, more or less fixed costs for everyone, and you have less than 10 million left for development. We have to be tough, the future of the cost cap depends on it. If it ends up with another "fine" then everyone will do the same thing, the allocation to pay is budgeted and so on. Big builders can afford it…".
The entire interview with Frederic Vasseur is available on La Gazzetta dello Sport.
