'More hours' ahead for F1 budget cap delay says Red Bull
Oct.22 - Red Bull has called off a scheduled team press conference that could have spelled an end to the current uncertainty surrounding the budget cap breach.
Instead, team boss Christian Horner was seen in meetings at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin with FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem and the governing body's controversial new secretary general Shaila-Ann Rao.
Horner then headed to another meeting with Formula 1 officials and fellow teams, but it is believed that was about Brad Pitt's forthcoming F1 movie.
Sergio Pérez driving the RB18 on track during practice ahead of the 2022 USA F1 Grand Prix (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Earlier, the FIA indicated it had decided the penalties for Red Bull's rumoured $1.8 million breach in 2021 and was waiting for the team to approve them.
If the penalty is rejected by Red Bull, an adjudication panel will be convened.
"There is no new statement," Red Bull's Dr Helmut Marko said when asked by Sky Deutschland about the cancelled press conference.
"I can't say anything about it. We are dependent on the FIA and waiting for feedback."
When told that the delays are not good for Formula 1, the Austrian insisted: "This has been going on for a few weeks so a few more hours will not matter."
Marko, 79, said the "most unpleasant" part of the entire saga has been the "completely baseless rumours" and "serious allegations" of cheating.
"But that didn't come from the FIA, it came from the competitors," he said. "Winning doesn't make you many friends and some think they're gaining an advantage by doing this, but they're not thinking outside the box."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said in Austin that, in theory, breaking the new financial rules should be the same as a technical and sporting breach and potentially result in disqualification.
But he said Max Verstappen's 2021 title is not in danger.
"The violation does not allow the rules to do that, but it should serve the purpose of making everything fairer and clearer for the future," said Wolff.
According to some, however, the current delay and confusion is making the penalty for breaking the budget cap "look more and more like horse trading".
"It's all happening behind closed doors but I think it could have been resolved much earlier," former Bridgestone Kees van de Grint told Viaplay.
"It's also strange that the FIA is trying to make an offer to a team about a penalty and the team has to accept that."
Former Sauber team boss Monisha Kaltenborn thinks the entire affair has been a serious cloud above the entire budget cap concept.
"The whole procedure is unfortunately not understandable," she told f1-insider.com. "But with the little information that I have as an outsider, I can only come to the conclusion that the regulations leave a lot of room for interpretation.
"Then - and I'm talking now as a lawyer - you have the difficulty of assessing whether it should trigger a penalty and what precedent this has.
"It's a very difficult and, above all, unsatisfactory situation for the fans," said Kaltenborn.
"The best thing the FIA can do for itself is to not impose a penalty and admit that the rules allowed some leeway. And as that wasn't the intention, we now need to improve the rules."
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Former Puma shoe supplier Dees Feetermyn interjected that "The delayed penalty, if there should even be one, is only serving to remind fans that there are other sporting options available, including badminton. If the FIA doesn't make a decision very soon I expect the BIA series to wick away many F1 fans in protest."
What kind of article, really, is this?
"The best thing the FIA can do for itself is to not impose a penalty and admit that the rules allowed some leeway. And as that wasn't the intention, we now need to improve the rules."
This has to be in the running for dumbest comment of the day.
"Earlier, the FIA indicated it had decided the penalties for Red Bull's rumoured $1.8 million breach in 2021 and was waiting for the team to approve them".
So basically if RB doesn’t agree with the penalty they will sit down with them and come up with one that they like.
Here’s an idea get some grid girls to hold cases with different penalties in them. Helmet Marko can select a case number and the team can cheer him on calling out Deal or No Deal.
Just make sure none of the girls are aspiring actress, that have studied international relations and had interned at the U.S. Embassy in multiple countries.
After all the job is to look pretty and open the case.
Might as well roll out Brucie from the grave and play a game of higher or lower, called play your fine right.
Liberty would love to stretch this out 'til next year in Vegas. Imagine the handle on the over-under bet.
Seriously, now that the can is opened the FIA better cook the beans. The teams need to understand the consequences.
Don't worry Ror, this will all be unraveled by Netflix, in the next series, sign me up now
Ahhhhhhh.....Monisha Kaltenborn the brilliant Team Manager and part owner at Sauber some time ago , where she had the brilliance to sign up 3 drivers for 2 race seats and cost the team what was it, 12M $$$ in wages compo, And we think Christian and his girl Lucy are the prats of the paddock.
R.i.P Mr. M.
No matter whether or not you are a RB fan, or your opinion of the product, one thing is for sure. Mr. M brought a huge amount of just plain joy to this world. RIP sir.
On this sad day I refuse to do any jokes about the 2022 Rb soap box winners in F1, cept to say, lets have a good race .
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