F1: Steiner calls for budget cap breach 'consequences'

(GMM) There “must be consequences” for Red Bull after the dominant Formula 1 team was found to have breached the 2021 budget cap.

In Austin this weekend, a major talking point will be the likely penalties, which according to the FIA are “currently” being discussed behind closed doors.

This week, it emerged that McLaren supremo Zak Brown wrote a letter to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem that accused Red Bull of “cheating”.

“The events cast a bad light on the sport,” the Woking based team’s boss Andreas Seidl has now told Sport Bild magazine.

“Clear violations must be clearly punished.”

The German acknowledged, however, that it must first be clarified “whether someone spent too much on catering or whether they got a clear advantage in the performance of the car”.

But even former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who was historically close to Red Bull, admitted that the likely penalty will in fact be “worse” than a mere fine.

Haas team boss Gunther Steiner told RTL ahead of the US GP: “There are regulations, and they have to be followed.

Steiner’s sorry Haas team has been a marker from Day 1 to now – his claim to fame. Shown – Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22 during the Spanish GP at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Saturday May 21, 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Steven Tee / LAT Images)

“There must be consequences,” he insisted.

However, he admitted that he doesn’t know in what areas Red Bull overspent and how close it was to the 5 percent ‘minor’ threshold, which could be as much as $7 million.

“I think the FIA must take action,” he said.

“It doesn’t have to be tomorrow, but it does need to be worked through, so we set a sign for the future that no one else can do it, or you don’t just get an advantage by breaking the rules and paying a fine.

“But I think it has to be very carefully thought about how it is approached.”