According to Corriere dello Sport, Toto Wolff said that if Red Bull is not properly sanctioned for going over budget, Mercedes is prepared to go over budget to return to the top of the grid.
Last Monday, the FIA reported that Red Bull had exceeded the budget limits for the 2021 season, which it said was a minor overrun of 5%. The FIA has not yet publicly announced the sanction they could impose.
However, there has already been some knowledge of what measures could be imposed on the Austrian team, which was very disappointed after the report because they are convinced that they were below the budget limit for last year: public reprimand, forfeiture of constructors’ points or forfeiture of drivers’ points, restriction of aero or other testing and additional reduction of the budget of the team that violates the financial rules.
In addition, the words of Formula 1 motorsport director Ross Brawn are already being widely reported on the new regulation in 2019, when he hinted that failure to comply with the regulation would result in the loss of the title.
The penalty that the FIA will impose on Red Bull for this offense is still unknown, but it should be remembered that next Wednesday the World Council will meet and in the field of Formula 1 it will be one of the most important issues.
But according to Corriere dello Sport, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned that if Red Bull is not properly sanctioned, his team could deliberately go over budget in the future.
“If Red Bull had spent two million more, they could have closed the matter by paying the FIA five times, so 10 million,” said the Austrian.
“In any case, it would not be fair because the right to cheat would be sanctioned by paying a fine.”
“Mercedes has already discussed this and, if this is indeed the point of failure, Mercedes is prepared to plan the additional budget and associated fines to restore performance and return to the top,” concluded Wolff.
