Budget Cap Enforcement

I agree yet the teams as a majority less top 3, will want it to preserve their new found values as “investment” vehicles!!

 

Just waiting for the FIA statement but I do agree with William, budget cap rules are pure nonsense.
Like the tokens system was.
Frankly I hope Horner and co didn’t breached budget cap massively because 2022 years titles would be more suspicious..

 

Awful lot of jumping to conclusions here without a single fact being exchanged.

 

Just Toto acting whiter than white when Mercedes are the biggest moaners in the pitlane

 

Agree
Wait and see

 

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I like Red Bull, so I'd like for it not be true. But one can see that Red Bull and Mercedes massively develop their cars in ways other teams don't, and Binotto has always maintained that it's not that Ferrari can't develop every race, it's that they're following the budget cap in good faith.

 

It was pretty obvious that Red Bull did more development than Mercedes last year.

This year? It's absurd. Both Red Bull and Mercedes are able to bring both small updates every other race, and then also big packages at Spain, Silverstone, and France, plus having enough money for B-cars in Bahrain testing, and now Red Bull have big updates for Singapore. AND Red Bull developed a lighter chassis they've now elected to suddenly not use.

Meanwhile, every other team were only able to afford a package in Spain and Silverstone, and the odd the new wing. It's obvious Red Bull and Mercedes (who I hope are investigated next) are ignoring the cost cap.

 

Binotto is trying hard to play the propaganda game. Each race he doesn't bring an update it's ''for budget reasons'' then a week later brings yet another wing or floor to the race. Come on. Ferrari is on what now, 6 wings? Red Bull only 3. Merc has had an enormous amount of upgrades all season long.

Merc's crash bill is significant as well, among the highest of all. RBR has the lowest crash spend of any team this season. Perhaps someone should take a little look in Merc's finances instead...

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What are you talking about with Ferrari? They only changed the floor in Barcelona, then two concepts between Silverstone and Paul Ricard. They've done nowhere near the development of Red Bull, and certainly not of Mercedes.

Red Bull changed sidepods and floors in Bahrain, reconfigured the weight of the chassis, changed floors in Imola, new brakes and front suspension in Baku, big package in Silverstone to the whole car, an upgrade here at Singapore, AND an even lighter chassis they have yet to reveal? No way, no how.

They clearly breached the budget cap this year, and Mercedes are even worse in bringing about 6 massive packages this year.

Binotto has been sorry as a leader this year, but it's not just Ferrari that had to stop doing updates. Other teams had to stop as well. They have every right to complain they were handicapped by following the rules in good faith, while two other teams just pretended the rules weren't there.

Horner went after Ferrari in 19' (rightfully), and now he's the one with explaining to do.

 

Ferrari has also developed significantly all season long.

Regarding the chassis, you can develop, crashtest 100 different chassis if you want to, but so long you don't use it in an official weekend, it doesn't count a single penny to the budget cap.

This chart is accurate as of 25 august (the guy that's plotting this hasn't posted in a while).

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Ferrari with 30 upgrades, Red Bull with 32, Mercedes with 37, despite their massive crash bills.

 

See the above chart.

 

The chart doesn't even include the pre-testing B-cars of Red Bull and Mercedes.

Mercedes have done way, way more development than Ferrari, which should tell you how accurate that chart is.

And yes, Mercedes are a far worse offender this year. Amazing how they haven't been called out.

Like team orders, the budget cap will not be enforced after this year is my hunch.

 

IF this is true so Both world championships for Red Bull this year are at risks..
Again we will have to wait Wednesday for the official statement from the FIA.

 

The red bull bahrain upgrade wasn't that massive. They brought a sculpted sidepods and minor updates to the floor. Ferrari also brought upgrades, with several changes to the floor. It was Mercedes with a massive upgrade in most areas.

Hell, Gary Anderson, whose not exactly a Red Bull fan, called Red Bull's Bahrain updates "subtle"

 

Ferrari only changed the floor edge in Bahrain. Red Bull's package was far more expensive.

Sorry, I just don't buy it. Red Bull did more than Ferrari and every other team. To imagine they spent $5-6 million or more than Ferrari in breach of the cap is not hard to conclude.

Do I think Red Bull are the best car regardless? Yes. Do I think that rules being rules they should be punished? Also, yes.

And yes, Mercedes are far worse. Big packages in Miami, Spain, Baku, Silverstone, France, and their big upgrade in Bahrain. No way are they not massively in breach of the cap. They're not even trying to hide it, and it's amazing Toto has the balls to say anything.

 

It's a tactic: Accuse your enemies of that which you are guilty.

sjd

 

BTW, I don't blame Red Bull and Mercedes, I blame the FIA.

The budget cap is like team orders. It's honor system nonsense that's unenforceable. What's worse than breaking the rules is to find out you're the only one following a certain rule, like Renault found out during the previous "engine freeze".

Red Bull wanted to keep their edge in the championship. They didn't trust Mercedes, and wagered that if the latter went over budget and were found out, it would be a slap on the wrist by the FIA, and so it was far wiser to bring the final upgrade they had the pipeline. Mercedes didn't trust Red Bull or Ferrari this year, and clearly just ignored the cap this year.

The FIA's job was to discover the offenses early, transparently expose them, and penalize those guilty in a way that acted as a deterrent towards more gross scale of violations.

Can you blame Red Bull and Mercedes for doing what they did, as long as they did, when they saw what a joke the process was last year?

 

We'll see next week then.

Red Bull outspending Ferrari this year is not a criminal act by itself, so long they're not spending too much what is the issue?

Ferrari's floor upgrade in bahrain was front, mid and rear of the floor. Red Bull only front.

If we are to believe Binotto, Red Bull spend 75% of their budget by Imola, and he claimed he knew this because he knows that Ferrari also spend a lot. If any of what he said was true at that point (hint: It wasn't), how can Ferrari possibly have upgraded their car this much since those statements?

This whole fiasco exists because of words from Toto, of all people. Ferrari has jumped on the band wagon and Sky is only too happy to poor massive amount of fuel on the fire. So far there has been zero facts told, only that Red Bull and Mercedes did the most upgrades of anyone in 2021. No ****, they where in a championship battle and the rest where not.

As you say yourself, how can Mercedes be below budget if Red Bull (and Ferrari, by their own admittance this weekend), are close to the ceiling?

 

We all said this before the season even started. How do they intend to police this? Especially with such massive companies this is nigh on impossible. And I'm pretty sure some of us also stated how can they possibly analyze all these accounts in a timely fashion?

What are they going to do exactly? By FIA's own admission they can't change the results of a race/championship whatever after I believe 3 days or whatever. Are we going to have to wait until the following october each year to find out who is the WDC and WCC? I mean come on.

IMO this is a cheap shot from Toto who yet again tries to cheapen Max's title and now his 2nd to be. Imagine Max wins the title this weekend, the news papers wll be full of "Max wins title, but is it legitimate?" Because I will absolutely guarantee that's what they'll say. Sponsors won't be happy. Even if it this is all not true, the headlines will be what they are. Sure they'll be editing it out a week later, but we all know a fraction of people will actually see the correction vs the cheap headline.

 

It's impossible. Again, I don't honestly blame them.

Another thing that's stupid about the cap is that it prevented teams from properly solving issues like porposing. Had the teams be allowed to develop as needed, they'd have it solved, and the field would be tighter.

I don't recall BInotto saying RBR spent 75% of their budget by Imola. As I recall, he said they'd have to slowdown to afford the traditional Silverstone update.

 

They could at least budget for it then...

sjd

 

Toto is a ******, that's not news.

Bottom line is, a lesson was taught to Ferrari. They can spend massive amounts on development if they want. They have capable designers in Sanchez and Cardile, with the help of Byrne. They're fools if they think Red Bull and Mercedes will obey a budget cap next year after this.

That's the thing, among the top 3 teams, only Ferrari worried to the penny if they were over the cap. Mercedes and Red Bull didn't trust anybody, and developed as needed.

 

Every other team head has commented about this being as bad as cheating on the track/car. And all have indicated will deserve a severe penalty. Otherwise everyone will do it, if the penalty is minimal. I hope the FIA comes down extremely hard on Red Bull, if what is being reported is true.