FIA reveals cost cap procedural breaches for Alpine and Honda

The FIA has announced that all ten F1 teams were found in compliance of Formula 1’s cost cap regulations for 2023, but two power unit manufacturers – Alpine and Honda – were singled out for Procedural Breaches.

The governing body stated that the review of the Reporting Documentation was a “thorough and intensive process” spanning five months, with all F1 Teams and all PU Manufacturers giving their full support in providing the required information.

The Cost Cap Administration (CCA) noted that all F1 Teams and all PU Manufacturers acted at all times “in a spirit of good faith and co-operation throughout the process”.

F1’s cost cap was introduced in 2021 with a limit of $145 million. Last year’s threshold equated to $138.6 million based on 23 races, while the 2023 season marked the first campaign during which F1’s four power unit manufacturers were also forced to comply with budget restrictions.

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Neither Alpine nor Honda exceeded the mandatory spending limit, but both committed what were deemed as Procedural Breaches.

Due to the nature of the breaches and the “complexities of the new Financial Regulations for PU Manufacturers”, the CCA has recommended that both manufacturers settle for an Accepted Breach Agreement.

Should Alpine and Honda elect to cohere to this advice and take an ABA, a summary of the punishment will be “finalised as provided for by the Financial Regulations”.

The term "Accepted Breach Agreement" refers to a process outlined in the rules where the offending parties agree to accept a penalty imposed by the FIA.

Sanctions for procedural breaches are typically financial unless the FIA identifies mitigating circumstances that warrant no further action, or if there are sufficient aggravating factors that justify the imposition of a sporting penalty.

The financial regulations define several actions that can be considered procedural breaches. These include late submissions, failure to comply with written requests for information or documents, and providing inaccurate documentation.

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