F1 bosses ‘nervous’ more teams could break vital FIA rules

Horner opens up on Red Bull's 'barren spell' amid Mercedes dominance

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has admitted he is “nervous” more teams could breach strict FIA rules months after Red Bull’s penalty was applied. Domenicali stressed he was “more than nervous” when asked if more teams could breach the budget cap regulations.

However, the Italian called on the FIA to enact rules changes to ensure checks are done quicker. It comes after Red Bull were only found guilty of breaching 2021 rules in the closing stages of the 2022 campaign.

Domenicali explained: “I am more than nervous. It is up to the FIA to ensure that the checks and certifications are done earlier, so that we can act more quickly if teams have been in violation.”

Red Bull were hit with a mega £6.3million ($7m) fine after it emerged they had exceeded the cap allowance. The squad also lost 10 per cent of their allocated wind tunnel development time which could have a major impact on their mid-season upgrades.

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Red Bull were accused of cheating by their nearest rivals in what delivered a reputational blow to the reigning champions.

Despite last year’s controversy, Red Bull boss Christian Horner warns the team cannot say with certainty that they will not be over the threshold again in 2022. He explained: “You can never be 100 per cent sure, especially after all the aspects that caused us to go over in 2021.

“We are convinced that we have stayed comfortably within the cap for 2022, but we will only have that certainty once we have the certificate in our hands.” Despite the penalty, Red Bull have dominated the 2023 campaign with the squad icing up all three race wins.

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It led new Ferrari boss Frederic Vasseur to call out the FIA’s punishment as “very light” as Max Verstappen leads a Red Bull one-two in the Drivers’ Championship. However, Horner blasted the Frenchman’s assessment and stressed it was “premature” to suggest Red Bull would win the crown.

The 49-year-old team principal told Sky Sports News: “Everybody’s got an opinion and I think everybody’s free to have an opinion.

“The team have done a great job over the winter on limited wind-tunnel time that we’ve had to develop this car, and of course that will have an impact later into the year and on next year. So on a snapshot of three races, I think it’s still hugely premature in (terms of) this season, there’s an awful lot of racing still to go.”

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