Ferrari chief reveals why he believes F1’s ‘credibility is at stake’
Mattia Binotto, team principal at Ferrari, fears that Formula 1’s “credibility is at stake” as the FIA prepares to announce if any teams have breached the budget cap.
Rumours in the last week have suggested that two manufacturers may have exceeded the cost cap limit, with Red Bull and Aston Martin both denying speculation that they had overspent.
Mercedes and Ferrari have said that they believe that one team has marginally breached the cap and another by a more significant figure.
The sport’s financial regulations define a minor breach as one less than 5% of the cap, set at $145m (£114m) in 2021, and a material one as more than that.
But Binotto is certain that even a minor breach should be taken seriously.
“It’s definitely a shame that we are talking about it in October of the following season, because at this point, apart from implications on last year’s championship, there are also implications for the current one,” the Ferrari team principal told Sky Italia.
“Let’s wait until Wednesday before making a judgement but, whatever amount we are talking about, it’s important to understand that even if it is four million, which falls into the category of what is considered a minor breach, four million is not minor.
“For us, four million represents the development parts for an entire season. Four million means 70 people in a technical department who can come up with and produce solutions that could be worth up to half a second a lap.
“So even if we are looking at something considered a minor breach it’s not peanuts. We are talking of half a second and that advantage is carried forward into subsequent seasons, because while it began in 2021, it still gives a competitive advantage in 2022 and 2023, so this is clearly an important matter.
“It puts the credibility in general at stake. I hope that everyone has dealt with this exercise correctly, because otherwise it will be a very big problem to manage.”
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen secured his first world title at the final race of the 2021 F1 season, passing Lewis Hamilton on the final lap of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in controversial circumstances.
Sanctions for a material breach of the cap, which was introduced last yeard in a bid to help make the sport more competitive, include the possibility of banning a team or driver from an entire championship.
The FIA will issue certificates of budget cap compliance on Wednesday 5 October, with any teams that have not complied likely to then face a separate hearing to determine sanctions.
