08/11/2022
NEWS STORY
In the wake of their own 'error', Red Bull pair, Helmut Marko and Christian Horner believe as many as six teams could exceed the 2022 budget cap.
At a time the rest of us were hoping that the whole sorry saga could be put to bed, it is likely that the budget cap is going to dominate the headlines again next summer just as it did this year.
Still seeking to put a brave face on things, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko believe that this season as many as six teams will exceed the $140m cap.
Having been found guilty of breaching the 2021 cap - which stood at $145m - Red Bull was fined $7m and hit with a 10% reduction in aero testing.
Although, in the wake of the ongoing global financial crisis, the FIA has factored in a 3.1% increase to the cap, Marko believes that teams will still fall foul as they face ever increasing costs.
"I think the current situation is that six teams are above it," he tells Germany's Auto Motor Und Sport. "Inflation is something that was not calculable to that extent, especially with energy costs."
Insisting that his team has learned its lesson, and that its 2022 submission will show it as coming in under the cap, Horner also believes that rival teams will slip up, and wonders what sanctions they might face.
"The danger for 2022 is that there could be six teams in breach of the cap," he warns. "Energy prices have been exponential.
"There is that chance that several teams, many of which have stated it during Formula One commission meetings, will break the cap this year.
"We do not believe that we will break the cap in 2022," he adds, "but these penalties set a precedent for the future. So, if you get 10% for 0.3% breach, what is the 5% breach going to look like?"
While the budget cap was introduced as a means of levelling the playing field, Marko insists that it has failed, and certainly hasn't compromised Red Bull's development programme.
So far, the budget cap has not changed anything at all," says the Austrian. "Why should it be different in the future? You simply have to develop better.
"Of course, we are affected by the fact that we already have fewer wind tunnel hours because we won the championship. Now we have to get every test right. But in the end, it always depends on the quality of the staff."