Motor racing-Red Bull dismiss speculation on budget cap breach

Red Bull boss Christian Horner on Friday dismissed as idle gossip reports they spent more than allowed last year under Formula One's budget cap and said the team were confident in their figures.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner on Friday dismissed as idle gossip reports they spent more than allowed last year under Formula One's budget cap and said the team were confident in their figures. Horner told Sky Sports television at the Singapore Grand Prix that none of the 10 teams had so far received a compliance certificate.

"There's an awful lot of rumours and gossip and we know where most of that permeates from," he said, without naming anyone. "There's a lot of conjecture about Red Bull but that could well be about four or five teams in the pitlane."

According to media reports, Red Bull and Aston Martin exceeded the mandatory $145 million budget cap imposed on each team in 2021. An Aston Martin spokesperson said the team were "in discussion with the FIA, and we are awaiting certification (of the data)."

There was no official confirmation of any breach, with the governing FIA saying in a statement it was still assessing the financial data submitted by teams and would deal with any breaches according to the rules. Horner said certificates were due to be issued next Wednesday, although the date had been changed three times already.

"They are following their process. Let them do their process and then let's see what comes out. Anything before that is just speculation," he said. "It's the first year of these regulations, accounts were submitted in March. There's been clarifications since March on certain aspects of what and how things can be submitted and these regulations are still very, very immature.

"They (the FIA) are taking their time to do the job properly and we're very confident in the submission that we've made. So I wouldn't listen to too many idle bits of gossip and rumour." Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the 2021 championship after going into the last race level on points with Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton.

Formula One introduced the budget cap last year, narrowing it to $140 million this year and $135 million next season. The aim is to rein in runaway spending by the biggest teams, level the playing field and put the sport on a more stable financial footing.

Possible sanctions range from fines to loss of points and exclusion from the championship. Williams were fined $25,000 this year for a procedural breach of the financial regulations after missing a deadline to submit their accounts.

Red Bull finished second behind Mercedes in the overall standings last season. Verstappen could win his second title this weekend in Singapore. (Additional reporting by Alan Baldwin in London; editing by Toby Davis)

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