The FIA has confirmed that its Cost Cap Administration has completed its review of documentation submitted by each team that participated in the 2021 F1 championship. Seven out of 10 teams were judged to be compliant with the cost cap rules, while three were deemed to be in breach of the regulations. Aston Martin and Williams Racing were found to have committed procedural breaches of the rules, while Red Bull was highlighted as having made both a procedural breach and a ‘minor’ overspend.
According to the FIA, Williams Racing complied with the regulations in respect of the 2021 reporting period, but was found in May 2022 to have committed a procedural breach which was remedied by the team in what the FIA termed a “timely, cooperative and transparent manner”. The team was fined US$25,000.
The FIA noted that with respect to the first year of the application of the Financial Regulations the intervention of the FIA Cost Cap Administration was limited to reviewing the submissions made by competitors and that no full formal investigations were launched.
As to what punishment will be handed down to either Red Bull or Aston Martin, the FIA has a range of options, though it is likely that only a financial penalty will be applied, rather than more drastic action such as retrospective loss of championship points.
