Horner openly admitted F1 teams would breach spending limits two years ago

Max Verstappen’s latest F1 title triumph is being overshadowed after it was confirmed Red Bull had breached the sport’s budget cap in 2021.

New financial rules were implemented last year in a bid to rein in costs and give lesser-funded teams the chance to compete with the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari. However, it has emerged that Red Bull overspent as Verstappen controversially pipped Lewis Hamilton to the drivers’ title in 2021.

While classed as a ‘minor’ breach, it is thought Red Bull overspent by around £1.5million. The severity of the penalty is still to be confirmed by the sport’s governing body, but many fans are calling for Verstappen to be stripped of his first title.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen branded 'cost cap champion' as angry F1 fans blast FIA and Red Bull

However, F1 shouldn’t be surprised that at least one of the big teams overspent. After all, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner even said it would continue to happen two-and-a-half-years ago, back when teams could legally spend as they wished.

He even said so in a column on Red Bull’s own website, with the comments resurfacing on social media this week.

“Money is a hot topic among F1 teams right now,” wrote Horner back in May 2020. “The problem is, so much is made about the figure of the cost cap that I believe it is missing the point.

What should be the penalty for breaching the budget cap? Tell us in the comments section below.

“F1 teams will always spend whatever budget they have available to them. Plus an extra 10 per cent.

“It is impossible to compare the spending of Ferrari to Haas, of Mercedes to Racing Point [now Aston Martin] or even from Red Bull to AlphaTauri. They are all completely different structures and business models.

“I believe the solution should be looking at what drives those costs up in the first place and that is the R&D cost of building and developing cars in the hope of being competitive.”

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