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The FIA on Monday revealed in their 2021 budget review that Red Bull and Aston Martin were the two teams who had breached the cost cap in the past season. While Aston Martin only has a "procedural" violation, the Bulls have "minor overspending breaches of financial regulations," according to the authorities.
Red Bull claimed that the breach was not in the car's R&D but in the team's catering, which many found strange. Although the team believes that their 2021 submission was below the limit, they have stated that they will conduct a review of the FIA's report.
"Our 2021 submission was below the cost cap limit, so we need to carefully review the FIA's findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 cost amount."
The cost cap in Formula One was implemented last year and was set at $145 million. The teams were not permitted to spend any more money on the car or the team than this. It is expected to make the sport more competitive for smaller teams, who currently struggle to compete for points in most races.
Fans take a sarcastic outlook to Red Bull's reason for the budget breach
Reports of Red Bull exceeding the budget cap surfaced weeks before the FIA made their decision. This sparked widespread speculation that the team would be barred from competing in the 2021 season, resulting in Lewis Hamilton being crowned World Champion for that year.
Nonetheless, the FIA has not disclosed any punishment. Fans, on the other hand, appear to have made their own decision. Here are some of the best.
Mercedes' Toto Wolff and Ferrari's Mattia Binotto had been discussing Red Bull's penalty and breach for a long time before there was any official news about it, leading fans to believe that they may have been involved in the entire scenario.
Analysts believe that if the team can demonstrate that the breach was not caused by spending on the car, they will only face a hefty fine. This means that there will be no points deduction (from the previous year) or disqualification, and Max Verstappen will retain his championship against Hamilton.
