According to a report, there is reason to believe that not every team will receive approval for compliance with the F1 cost cap for 2022.
The F1 cost cap was initially introduced in the 2021 season and the FIA would first confirm compliance or a breach for all the 10 teams on the grid in 2022.
Red Bull was the team that felt the impact the most because of a minor overspend violation that resulted in a $7 million fine and a 10% reduction in their allocated wind tunnel time over the course of the year.
The same could not be said for Aston Martin and Williams, but the two teams received penalties for procedural errors.
Additionally, a report from the Italian branch of Motorsport.com states that when the FIA distributes certifications of conformity with the 2022 cap, which is anticipated to happen by the end of July, rumors suggest that three teams will be found to be non-compliant.
Considering Formula 1 was known to seek a quicker resolution this time around and the possibility of more violations now looming, the drama surrounding the 2021 F1 cost cap wasn’t resolved until October of last year.
The future of this concept might be greatly impacted by Red Bull’s performance on the track right now, as well as how the FIA handles any potential 2022 breaches. However their expenditure in 2023 and that of their competitors won’t be scrutinized until next year’s budget cap review.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has previously stated that the negative publicity caused by a cost cap violation would discourage any future violators, but the Red Bull team’s current conquering domination may lead other teams to believe otherwise.
The Red Bull team, which has won all 10 grand prix so far in F1 2023 has yet to feel any major repercussions from the $7 million fine and 10% wind tunnel time penalty. Even if as predicted the cap would start to bite towards the end of the year, Red Bull has already started allocating money to its RB20 for F1 2024, so by then another title double will probably be in the works.
With knowledge of what Red Bull was still capable of even after the sanction, the FIA would then need to act toughly if any additional overspend breaches regarding the 2022 cap were to be confirmed.
It is not improbable that some teams might think the breach punishment would be worthwhile for the potential on-track gains.
