Red Bull boss Christian Horner has described the level of scrutiny
over the latest cost cap as like having “a full colonoscopy.”
Earlier this year, the FIA announced that all 10 teams had complied
with the 2022 cost cap, with no breaches being found in the
submissions and Certificates of Compliance being issued. This was
in contrast to the 2021 cost cap, with the audited results being
released in October 2022 showing Red Bull overspent and broke the
spending limit for the ’21 season. Much of the overspend was a tax
rebate that was incorrectly applied, with the FIA accepting this
explanation with the final overspend being $432,000. Red Bull was
heavily fined after entering into an Accepted Breach Agreement with
the FIA, and was docked wind-tunnel and CFD development time. The
rules were introduced ahead of the 2021 season, with Horner
praising how the regulations continue to mature and the FIA’s
thoroughness. ‘A full colonoscopy’ “Certainly, you’ve not seen the
full impact yet because it obviously has compromised the amount of
development that we’ve been able to do this year,” Horner told
media including RacingNews365 of the impact of the cost cap penalty
on the 2023 car. “Thankfully, we came out with a very strong car at
the beginning of the year and we’ve been able to apply most of that
development time, from quite early in the season, to next year’s
car. “That’s been important. I think the process of the cost cap is
evolving. It’s a very complex set of regulations that have evolved
and the degree of scrutiny this year was phenomenal, in terms of
the rigour that the FIA went to. “It was a full colonoscopy that we
experienced during the summer, and I think that the FIA are
learning as well from their side, and the rules have evolved. “Of
course, every company is structured in a slightly different way as
well which adds to the complexity, whether you’ve got subsidiary
accounts or what your reporting group is for example, and so that
has a bearing as well. “It’s a very complex set of regs and I think
the FIA have actually done a pretty decent job from what we’ve seen
over the last 12 months.”
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