20 July 2023 , 18:33
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Lewis Hamilton and George Russell agree that Red Bull got off lightly after breaking Formula 1 budget cap rules.
The regulations first came into force for the 2021 season. And late last year, after all the accounting and analysis had finally been completed, it was determined that Red Bull were the only one who had committed a "minor" overspend.
For that breach, they were fined £6m and had 10 per cent of their wind tunnel time over the following 12 months taken away. That sporting penalty, Red Bull chief Christian Horner claimed, would have a significant impact on their car development.
But if that is the case, the timesheets haven't shown it. The RB19 has been the quickest car on the grid by some distance and the team has won all 10 races so far in 2023.
Hamilton is clear in his view that Red Bull got off very lightly for their breach. And, with the FIA currently crunching the numbers ahead of determining whether each of the 10 teams complied with the rules last season, the seven-time world champion is worried that some might not be too bothered about overspending as a result.
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"Yes, it's definitely a concern," said Hamilton when asked that question. "I mean, it wasn't really a big punishment last time so there's no real [deterrent]. There'll be people that will probably go for it again and know they're just gonna get slapped on the wrist."
It remains to be seen whether any teams will fail the FIA's analysis this year. One report from Germany claims that two teams have overspent, while another from an Italian publication stated that three went over budget in 2022. Neither of those reports speculated on who the alleged overspenders might be.
Lewis Hamilton feels teams might not have been deterred from overspending by Red Bull's punishment (Sky Sports)However, the FIA told Mirror Sport that it is too early to tell whether that is the case. "The auditing fieldwork is still ongoing and is scheduled to conclude in the upcoming weeks, after which there will be a period of required for the finalisation of the review," a spokesperson said.
"There is not, and has never been, a specific deadline for certification, and any suggestions of delays to this process or potential breaches are completely unfounded. The Cost Cap Administration will formally communicate its findings according to the procedure set out in the Financial Regulations. The timeframe is intentionally not fixed in order not to prejudice the robustness and the effectiveness of the review."
Hamilton's Mercedes teammate Russell agrees that Red Bull's punishment for their 2021 overspend was not harsh enough. He said: "If anybody has breached any regulation, you want the punishment to represent the crime. There were breaches last year and, clearly, the punishment didn't fit the crime. We don't want to be seeing that happen again."
And the younger Brit, who is also a director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, made it clear he would expect a much harsher penalty if any team were to breach the regulations twice. Russell added: "If it's a second-time offender, the punishment should be even greater than what perhaps would be a fair punishment if it's happened two years in a row.
"I trust in the FIA and I think Mohammed [ben Sulayem, president of the governing body] is a great force there. They won't be letting anybody get away with something that shouldn't have happened under their watch. I've got faith in them."