Mohammed Ben Sulayem warned against using the cost cap to cover things up, insisting the FIA will exercise its authority to monitor it.
Mohammed Ben Sulayem warned against using the cost cap to cover things up, insisting the FIA will exercise its authority to monitor it.The Formula 1 cost cap went through its first serious test during the 2022 season, the second year of its implementation, when the FIA found out that Red Bull and Aston Martin were in breach.
While Aston Martin’s breach was procedural, Red Bull’s wasn’t and it was revealed that they actually overspent in the region of $1.8-Million, consequently punished by paying a $7-Million fine as well as losing 10% of their aerodynamic development time.
Like everything in F1, there was no unanimous agreement on the outcome of the cost cap breach saga, but Ben Sulayem insists it was handled properly and that it remains the best way to close the gap between the teams.
“It’s not an easy task, to do equivalent of technology or the Balance of Performance,” he told the media at the Dakar Rally, quoted by Motorsport.com.
Cost cap is working and must be policed
“The one thing that I can say, and I can see is that it’s working and we have to police it, is the cost cap,” the Emirati insisted.
“I was very clear with what happened with Red Bull and Aston Martin. We made sure that nothing was hidden, and we were very transparent. We did the team [investigation], did the check-up, went through the whole process and we cleared it publicly to everyone,” he explained.
The FIA president hopes that what went down with Red Bull and Aston Martin will be a lesson for others not to try and abuse the cost cap under the watchful eyes of the governing body.
“I hope nobody can use the cost cap and try to cover up things,” he warned. “The teams now are very clear that the FIA is there as the governing body. They are there watching, and that is our duty, that is our responsibility.
“When it comes to the cost cap, there is one thing, it has to work. Yes, the gap is big, but we just have to push more into it to make sure the other teams come up to the level of the big teams,” Ben Sulayem maintained.