The affair surrounding the budget overrun of Formula 1 racing stable Red Bull will no longer be dealt with during the United States Grand Prix. Talks between the team of world champion Max Verstappen and the international motorsport federation FIA have been suspended due to the death of Red Bull owner Dieter Mateschitz.
Red Bull said in a brief statement that the deadline for a possible agreement has been extended and talks will resume sometime in the middle of next week.
The FIA announced more than two weeks ago that Red Bull had spent more money in 2021 than allowed under the $145 million cost cap. This is a ‘small’ exceedance, which means less than 5 percent. The racing stable can be punished for this and has now received a settlement proposal.
The budget overrun led to a lot of noise among the other teams, who stayed well within budget. Teams such as Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren have recently called on the FIA to impose severe penalties if the budget cap is exceeded. McLaren team principal Zak Brown even sent a letter to the FIA with that appeal.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner insists the team did nothing wrong and that Red Bull did not exceed budget for spending on the development of the cars. “We have had no advantage in any way,” said the Briton, who hoped to find a solution in talks with FIA boss Mohammed Bin Sulayem this weekend. Horner declined to say how much money Red Bull has overspent or what settlement proposal Red Bull has received, but promised full transparency once an agreement is reached.
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