F1 and FIA to consider steeper protest fees to curb frivolous cases

Formula 1 and the FIA are set to explore a significant increase in the deposits required for protests, appeals, and reviews, following a meeting of the F1 Commission in London on Wednesday.

The move comes amid growing concerns that the current protest system is too vulnerable to abuse, with recent failed challenges by Red Bull Racing against Mercedes reigniting the debate.

The matter was formally tabled during the London summit, which was chaired by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA Single-Seater Director Nikolas Tombazis.

The current deposit for lodging a protest – just €2,000 – was widely considered insufficient to deter baseless or strategic complaints.

Red Bull Protests Trigger Calls for Change

The catalyst for the discussion was Red Bull’s two recent unsuccessful protests against Mercedes’ George Russell.

The first came after the Miami Grand Prix, where Red Bull claimed Russell had not sufficiently slowed under yellow flags – a protest that was dismissed. A second rejected challenge followed the Canadian Grand Prix, where Russell won, alleging that the Briton had driven erraticaly during a late Safety Car period.

These cases raised concerns among teams and officials that the current low-cost threshold for lodging protests creates an environment ripe for tactical manipulation.

In an official statement published on its website, the FIA confirmed the issue is now under active consideration:

“It was agreed that the deposit fees for protests, appeals and right of reviews should be evaluated with a view to those fees being adjusted. The introduction of a fee for investigations was also discussed.”

Zak Brown: “Put your money where your mouth is”

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has been one of the most vocal advocates for reforming the system along with Mercedes boss Toti Wolff.

Speaking recently to reporters on the topic, Brown accused some teams – without naming Red Bull directly – of exploiting the process to disrupt competitors rather than seeking genuine clarification or enforcement of regulations.

“I think that some teams, one more than another, use bogus allegations as a disruption tactic,” said the McLaren chief, quoted by PlanetF1. “But I think it wastes a lot of the FIA’s time and resources, which is not where I think we as a sport should be asking the FIA to spend their time.”

Brown emphasized that while legitimate appeals must remain part of the sport, they should come with meaningful financial consequences to prevent frivolous claims.

“If you want to make an allegation of another team, no problem,” Brown said. “There’s a process; you put money down – it needs to be a chunky number in the sense, and it needs to be against your cost cap.

“Then, if you find that you found something, then you get your money back, no problem. If they didn’t find it or they find that you were frivolous in your allegations, you’ll lose your money and it goes against the cost cap.

“The minute teams have to go, ‘do I want to spend $25,000, $50,000 on something that is nothing more than a disruption tactic’… I’d rather spend that money on developing another front wing or rear wing, because it’s gone too far.”

• Read also: Wolff blasts Red Bull for ‘petty and embarrassing’ post-race protest

Brown called out those abusing the appeal system for strategic purposes.

“I think people have been dishonest with the FIA. I think they’ve wasted the FIA’s time and resources,” he continued.

“You shouldn’t be able to get away with being dishonest to the FIA or making allegations that have no basis or foundation. If you really believe a team is doing something [wrong], no problem. I’m not discouraging making allegations; [but] put your money where your mouth is.”

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