UNITED KINGDOM: Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, is confident that the stand-off between Red Bull and the FIA will conclude shortly as the negotiations between the two parties are set to resume during this weekend’s Mexican GP.
The FIA had announced that the team was guilty of committing a “minor overspend” breach and a “procedural breach” of the cost cap regulations set for the 2021 Formula 1 season.
The team has stayed adamant about its innocence. Hence, the FIA entered into a period of negotiation with the team.
Last Friday in Austin, Red Bull was due to hold a press conference on the issue. The conference was later cancelled as team boss Christian Horner was to meet with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem on Saturday.
However, the sad news of the demise of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz came late on Saturday evening, and any further progress in the resolution of the matter took a backseat with the team withdrawing into mourning.
The deadline for the acceptance of the offered “Accepted Breach Agreement” (ABA) was extended to accommodate the unexpected development.
With talks between the FIA and Red Bull set to resume, the focus is on whether Red Bull will accept the charges and join the ABA alongside the FIA.
If the team accepts the ABA, the team will have to admit their guilt and face financial penalties as well as a sporting penalty such as reduced wind tunnel or Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) time, both of which will have significant implications in the car’s development for future seasons.
If Red Bull rejects the ABA and fights the initial findings of the Cost Cap Administration and escalates the issue, the team will run the risk of being hit with harsher sanctions, which include possible points losses for 2021 and potentially risking Max Verstappen’s title win.
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