Ferrari expecting 'maximum penalties' for budget cap breaches

Ferrari has joined Mercedes in urging the FIA to deal with Red Bull's alleged budget cap breach with "complete transparency and maximum penalties".

It emerged on Friday in Singapore that two teams – Red Bull and Aston Martin – had transgressed last years cost cap limit, although Aston's violation has been described by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as minor and linked to procedural issues.

However, Red Bull is rumored to have breached its budget by a significant amount, an allegation denied on Friday at Marina Bay by team principal Christian Horner who was adamant that the accounts submitted to the FIA for certification were "below the cap".

Late on Friday, the FIA issued a statement denouncing the latest round of speculation regarding a breach of F1's cost cap rules and insisting that assessments of accounts were still ongoing.

"The FIA notes significant and unsubstantiated speculation and conjecture in relation to this matter, and reiterates that the assessment is ongoing and due process will be followed without consideration to any external discussion," stated the governing body.

While not pointing the finger at any specific team, Ferrari nevertheless made clear that it was expecting "complete transparency" from the FIA on the matter and appropriate sanctions in the event of a violation of F1's financial rules.

"It’s now no secret that two teams broke the 2021 budget cap regulations, one by a significant amount, the other less so," Scuderia sporting director Laurent Mekies told Sky Italia, quoted by Motorsport.com.

"We regard this as something very serious and we expect the FIA to manage the situation in exemplary fashion.

"We trust the FIA 100 percent. They have taken a very strong position in recent weeks and months on other issues.

"Therefore we expect that, for such a serious matter, there will be complete transparency and maximum penalties to ensure we are all racing within the same rules, because their impact on car performance is huge."

Read also:

• Wolff: Red Bull breach of cost cap an 'open secret'

With the sport's cost cap regulations in their infancy, Mekies underscored the importance of the matter delivering a clear understanding for teams of how F1's cost cap rules function.

"Putting penalties to one side, the important aspect is that the FIA can establish that there has been an overspend," added the Frenchman.

"Once that has been done, at least then we have confirmation that these are the rules that everyone must abide by.

"After that, the subject of penalties can be discussed in light of the effect of the overspend in 2021, in 2022 and what it will be in 2023, because obviously, at the current time and the point in this season in which we find ourselves, there is also an effect on next season.

"But as I mentioned, the most important thing, for which we expect the maximum severity and maximum transparency, is that the overspend is confirmed, as are the rules under which we must all race."

It has been suggested that a significant breach by Red Bull, one that would have given the Milton Keynes-based outfit a competitive advantage in the latter part of the 2021 season, could lead to the team's outright exclusion from last year's championship and to Max Verstappen being stripped of his title.

Mekies admits that such a sanction would reflect poorly on Formula 1, but penalties, applied to the past or to the future, must be applied.

"We understand that it could be a problem for Formula 1 fans to have to reconsider past results," he said.

"However, it is so very important for us to be sure that the rules are respected and are genuine rules and that if they are broken, then real penalties must be applied. [

"And] if not retrospectively for past infringements, then at least for the future."

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