Red Bull's cost cap breach will be 'worse' than just losing points in 2021 championship, says former F1 CEO

According to former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone Red Bull are in for big trouble with their cost cap breach. When asked by Blick over whether the team could lose their 2021 F1 championship, he said that it could be worse for the team.

The report on the alleged cost cap breach was first released by two publications during the Singapore GP weekend. The report said that Red Bull are one of the two teams that allegedly breached the cost cap during the 2021 season.

Ecclestone said when asked if Red Bull would lose points for their cost cap breach last season:

"It will get worse."

In the report released by the FIA on the Monday after the Japanese GP, it was revealed that Red Bull were guilty of a minor cost cap breach. What that means is that their overspend could vary from as low as $1 to $7.25 million.

Red Bull's public statement on the matter saw the team express 'shock' and was willing to work with the FIA to sort out the discrepancies. In the meantime, a letter written to the FIA by McLaren was leaked in which the team requested for a sporting penalty. The letter read:

"The overspend breach, and possibly the procedural breaches, constitute cheating by offering a significant advantage across technical, sporting and financial regulations. The FIA has run an extremely thorough, collaborative and open process. We have even been given a one-year dress rehearsal (in 2020), with ample opportunity to seek any clarification if details were unclear. So, there is no reason for any team to now say they are surprised."

It read:

"The bottom line is any team who has overspent has gained an unfair advantage both in the current and following year's car development. We don't feel a financial penalty alone would be a suitable penalty for an overspend breach or a serious procedural breach. There clearly needs to be a sporting penalty in these instances, as determined by the FIA."

Red Bull (619) are on the cusp of the constructor title this season, which they could clinch at the US GP in Austin this weekend.

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Red Bull boss anoints Max Verstappen as most talented driver team has ever had

In an interview with motorsportweek, Red Bull boss Christian Horner anointed Max Verstappen as the most talented driver to have raced for the team. He talked about Verstappen's first race in Span and how it was unbelievable to see a driver put together such a weekend.

He also talked about how in 2015 Verstappen pulled off some audacious moves on fellow drivers and showed he was in a different league. Horner said:

“I’ve never seen anything like it (the win in Spain in 2016), what we witnessed that day was something special. The great thing is he is just open to pushing himself in all areas, he always feels there’s more to be had.

He is quite clearly the most talented driver that I think we have had in one of our cars. What stood out was Spa (in 2015), when he drove round the outside of Felipe Nasr. I thought: ‘This boy is properly brave, committed and quick.’ You saw it that season: he was a shining star. It was evident immediately he was a prodigious talent.”

Verstappen will look to level the longstanding record of Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher of most wins (13) in a season by winning the US GP this weekend.