McLaren F1 team principal Andreas Seidl welcomes the successful completion of the 2021 F1 cost cap process, but says the Red Bull Racing penalty was not severe enough.
On Friday, the FIA fined Red Bull $ 7 million and ordered a 10% reduction in aerodynamic testing over the next 12 months. Aston Martin, meanwhile, was fined $ 450,000 for violating the procedure.
Andreas Seidl stressed that it is encouraging that the FIA process has worked effectively, but questioned the extent of the sanctions and argued that future sanctions should be stricter.
“I have mixed feelings, to be honest,” he told Andreas Seidl.
On the positive side, we were able to confirm that the audit process that the FIA carried out for all the teams was carried out very thoroughly and diligently, which I think is actually a good thing. “
“And in the end it was also confirmed that a team was in violation. It is also good that the penalty was actually enforced. Hopefully it will ultimately be good for the sport we are in. Because it discourages teams from joining. red zone in the future, whether it be financial, sporting or technical regulations “.
“But of course, from our point of view, when you look at the penalty, it just doesn’t fit the infraction. It’s not serious enough. And we would like to go ahead for similar infractions and see the penalties become tougher. I’m here
Asked about the impact of the cuts in aerodynamic testing, Andreas Seidl said: “Of course 10% makes a difference from a development standpoint. But again, when it comes to violations, it doesn’t fit violations.”
Andreas Seidl also downplayed Christian Horner’s explanation as to why Red Bull Racing overstepped the budget. He said he didn’t attend the press conference.
“I haven’t seen it,” said Andreas Seidl.
“I think in the end it confirms that the budget limit works, as the FIA results have confirmed for all 10 teams.”
“Nine teams managed to stay within the cap and, as far as I understand, they also came close to the cap, which is the idea of introducing a budget cap.”
“So from my point of view it is completely wrong to leave room for interpretation or condemn what happened there.”
McLaren CEO Zak Brown, who had a verbal battle with Christian Horner after sending a letter to the FIA demanding severe punishment from Red Bull Racing, echoed the sentiments of Andreas Seidl.
“I’m glad the truth came out and it worked as planned,” Brown said.
“One team breached the cost limit and the remaining nine operated by the rules.
“Therefore, it is only natural that punitive measures are taken. If the FIA is more effective and punishment is a lesson to others when the rules are broken in this way, the penalties need to be further strengthened in the future.”
“We hope that the lessons learned through this process mean that all teams have a clear understanding of the rules to avoid future violations.”
“While we are delighted to see them in action, we hope the FIA will take stronger action in the future against those who willfully break the rules.”
Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner agreed that neither the aero test penalty nor the penalty were strong enough.
“Money means nothing to other teams, but it’s good for the FIA to get money!” Said Gunther Steiner.
“A 10% cut in the wind tunnel doesn’t make much sense. It’s not a real penalty. You use less wind tunnel, but you can do something else. It’s that simple.”
“I think what they have to do is penalize in money and substantially lower the dollar budget ceiling, which would make a lot more sense than a 10% wind tunnel.”
Gunther Steiner agreed that the delay in the decision did not help any team.
“This is the next problem. We have to do these things in advance, which means we can’t wait until September, we have to get them in June,” said Gunther Steiner.
Frédéric Vasseur, Alfa Romeo F1 team principal, warned that sanctions from Red Bull Racing could encourage others to bet beyond their limits.
“From my point of view, this is a very small penalty for the world of sport,” said Vasseur.
“And we need to make sure these don’t encourage team waste in the future because everyone does their own math and spends $ X million a year and 10% of the wind tunnel allocation. Because it makes sense to do less.”
“I don’t belong in this case and I don’t care. I have no choice but I will put myself in their shoes.”
Commenting on Christian Horner’s emphasis on conflicting interpretations of the rules, Vasseur said: “The fact that it was difficult shouldn’t be underestimated. It was a challenge.”
“But we were allowed to ask questions. I think we all asked thousands of questions in total.”
Category: F1 / mclaren / Red Bull / Hearth / Alfa Romeo F1
