So here we go then: the first test of the budget cap.
I imagine I’m not the only person not entirely shell-shocked by the news of who it involves
They have to hammer them, otherwise what’s the bloody point?
Place your bets 
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“Red Bull’s defence of its spending and its submission to the FIA will no doubt be questioned by rivals who think that it has interpreted the financial regulations in a unique manner.”
In English…? 
Horner is a character that I find odious, but in terms of getting results, he’s currently the best-of-the-best; one way he gets there is pushing the rules to breaking point at every possible opportunity. Michael Schumacher would have loved-working with him…
Change Michael Schumacher to Lance Armstrong and you’re about right
Estimates from several sources put a Red Bull overspend at around $10m. This constitutes (in FIA terms) a “major infringement.”
Aston Martin’s overspend is estimated at less than $7.25m - a “minor infringement.”
I think the FIA release ‘official’ info on Wednesday.
But accusations of Mercedes manipulating the FIA are already common on t’internet.
I have a feeling that the truth is that everyone overspends, but some have better accountants than others.
Regulatory regimes live and die by how they’re governed
NBA has a budget cap, for example
You don’t fuck with it cos it’s the financial (and marketing) equivalent of electrocutng your balls
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It varies across the grid.
The likes of Haas do not have enough income to trouble the budget cap.
Sauber pay Swiss salaries which means that younger staff start on big salaries but they do not go up that much. The upshot is a very big salary bill, which eats into the budget available to spend.
Renault refused to employ extra accountants to try to find ways to make the budget cap not a problem for them (it wasn’t in the first year but probably is now).
The top 3 are different and will have various measures in place to minimise their visible spend. Mercedes for example employed financial engineering accountants to find as many loopholes as possible. And despite Nigel Kerr (ex Finance Director from Mercedes) leading the development of the budget cap, they left a lot of big loopholes.
So I am interested to see how this all pans out.
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T’were ever thus 
On the basis that any rule should only be included if it can be reliably and accurately scrutineered the budget cap is probably the stupidest yet, and there have been plenty of unscrutineerable items put in the rules since they got complex.
As soon as they excluded driver and senior personnel salaries it wasn’t a budget cap anyway.
It is shit.
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On-point as always Frank.
I often think you are one of a number of people I know who prove that having a fixed retirement age is a completely bloody stupid idea…
My prediction re any budget indiscretions:
“Team X found a loophole with the interpretation of the budget cap rules so we can’t punish them but from next year onwards the way Team X interpreted the rules will be illegal.”
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That is the FIA way.
Unless, of course, it’s a team that they are trying to nobble.
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Interesting- telling? - that the fêted Wednesday announcement didn’t happen and now it’ll be ‘next week’.
Cynically this would allow for private discussions with anyone guilty of transgression, or maybe it really is that difficult?
Or is the rule breaking sufficiently serious that a truly radical penalty is warranted, one that the FIA doesn’t want to dish out? Or would the repercussions of that penalty be deemed harmful (in the eyes of the FIA) to upcoming F1 seasons?
I was reading an article where the predicted outcome would be Red Bull found guilty, a massive fine (plus long term sanctions), losing all their 2021 points, plus Verstappen’s Championship being rescinded. They claimed it would achieve the “seen to be tough”, plus make themselves feel better about how 2021 finished.
I await with bated breath.
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If RB are guilty of exceeding budget, that would appropriate and send the right message. Sadly, I doubt the FIA have the teeth or will to do it.
(Same applies regardless of team involved.)
Franks comments (above) re the scope of budget limitations will likely play a part. I have no doubt that whoever is involved will be quoted as “Oh, we didn’t realise…” which is utter bullshit. Of course they realised. They knew. And would have been planning their response to any action for many months, likely up to and including legal action.
Another week, another F1 farce.
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Why am I filled with an empty feeling once again?
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Ferrari want clarity.
McLaren want clarity.
(Presumably Mercedes want clarity, but their views are to often taken to be biased against Red Bull.)
I’ve not heard RB asking for clarity, only protesting innocence.
Pretty awful shitshow from Race Control today, though egg on most commentators faces for not knowing the regs had changed after the Belgian farce (not that I knew either!)
Great drive from Max - he can only drive one way.
I don’t really know whether Charles should have revived 5 sec for the last chicane, but I do that know he bottled it under pressure, again
Kudos to Latifi for not only not binning it in the wet, bit putting in a very good drive, and a whole lot less Kudos to the director for missing this:
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