The penalties to be faced by F1’s cost cap rule breakers

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The FIA has officially proclaimed Red Bull and Aston Martin guilty of breaching the cost-cap rule last year. However, the two teams erred regarding a different set of rules, and the subsequent penalties and procedures to be followed will differ.

The first line of action involves both teams agreeing to an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA) where they accept the allegations and follow through with the penal measures enforced by the ABA. Doing so also implies an inability to challenge any of FIA’s decisions and subsequently not face any additional penalties such as limits on testing, loss of a driver’s championship points or a decrease of the cost cap.

The alternative is for the teams to challenge the decision of the FIA at a Cost Cap Adjudication Panel, which will have members elected by the FIA. If the teams are found guilty, they will be subject to suitable punishment, and teams may further appeal the decision to FIA’s International Court of Appeal.

Potential punishments following a guilty verdict include financial penalties if the breach is procedural such as providing inaccurate information or delayed submissions. A minor overspend, such as the one Red Bull have been found guilty of, involves a financial or minor sporting penalty which could include reduction of a drivers’ championship points, reduction of the cost cap, suspension from some stages of the contests as well as a reduction of the permissible limit of aerodynamic testing.