Red Bull hit with a $7 million fine and a reduction in research spending after breaking F1 cost cap

The Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) has finally announced a penalty for Red Bull’s breach of the F1 cost cap. According to FIA, Red Bull was found to have committed a Minor Breach of the F1 cost cap, overspending by $2.2 million, or 1.6% of the cost cap.

As a result, Red Bull will pay a $7 million fine, and lose 10% of its aerodynamic testing time for the next season.

FIA announced that the organization and Red Bull had agreed to the penalty in a statement issued Friday:

Following the submission of all required documentation by all ten Formula One Teams, the Cost Cap Administration carried out the first ever Review process under the FIA Formula One World Championship Financial Regulations. These new Financial Regulations are a very complex set of rules that competitors were required to adapt to for the first time.

Red Bull Racing was found to be in breach, however, the Cost Cap Administration recognized that Red Bull Racing has acted cooperatively throughout the review process and has sought to provide additional information and evidence when requested in a timely manner, that this is the first year of the full application of the Financial Regulations and that there is no accusation or evidence that RBR has sought at any time to act in bad faith, dishonestly or in fraudulent manner, nor has it willfully concealed any information from the Cost Cap Administration.

The reduction in testing time will further diminish the team’s access to the testing wind tunnels for next season. Under F1 rules, there is a “ ... sliding scale of wind tunnel runs in F1 depending on where a team finishes in the championship.”

With Red Bull securing the Constructors’ Cup last weekend at the United States Grand Prix, they were already limited to 28 sessions in the wind tunnel. Now that will be reduced to 25. For reference, the team that finishes second in the Constructors’ Cup — right now Ferrari is in second place — will have 30 runs in the wind tunnel.