Horner is worried and still doesn’t understand how the 2021 capped budget results were leaked
The budget cap was introduced for the 2021 season and is intended to regulate team spending, with a ceiling set at $145 million. According to Christian Horner, the disclosure of Red Bull's overrun before the official announcements is extremely worrying. This news has led to disrespectful actions by the Austrian structure's rivals even before the official news.
The rumors of a budget overage leaked in the paddock as early as the Singapore Grand Prix, and the name of Red Bull was associated with it. These rumors have continued to escalate throughout the following Grand Prix races, and Christian Horner strongly voiced his opinion on the matter. He firmly countered these accusations while reminding his rivals that they are making defamatory statements in the absence of official information from the FIA.
Appalled by the leaked information that was supposed to be confidential, the CEO of Red Bull spoke: “The accusations made in Singapore have been extremely distressing for every member of the staff, all our partners, and all the individuals involved within Red Bull.”
« Obviously, any form of leakage is extremely concerning. We want the matter to be resolved.
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The Austrian team was only informed about exceeding the budget cap 90 minutes after Max Verstappen’s victory at the Japanese Grand Prix. The FIA penalty was announced during the Mexican Grand Prix; Red Bull will have to pay a fine of 7 million dollars and will see a 10% reduction in their aerodynamic development over the next 12 months.
The Red Bull boss has spoken out about his team exceeding the budget cap. He stressed that it was not intentional and that there was no intention to cheat.
« We believe that there are lessons to be learned. Potential mistakes may have been made in our submission, and from an outsider’s perspective, everyone can be an expert on the subject.
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« But there was no intention or anything dishonest, and there certainly was no cheating in sports. So, I don’t think we should apologize.
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Christian Horner would have preferred to have the information from the FIA first and then be able to prepare and react in time, before any communication from the FIA. However, in this case, the rumors turned out to be true and the information was leaked before being directly given to those involved.
(I) I think there are lessons that have been learned. Everyone can learn from them. We have had our fair share of public accusations, we have been subject to a very public uproar, through the accusations made by other teams as well, he explains.
During the United States Grand Prix, especially on the podium, Max Verstappen was booed and a part of the audience chanted “Cheater”. Our drivers have been booed on the circuits, and the damage to their reputation caused by the allegations has been significant. It is time for this to stop.
