F1 2022 Discussion Thread

[GrandSlamFinale]

After many weeks and months of waiting, we finally have an F1 discussion thread on MN!

Anyone who wants to join is welcome - regardless of how long you've been watching the sport or who you support. My only request is that we keep it respectful even when criticising our favourite driver's rivals.

We're in Barcelona this weekend for round 6 of what has been a thriller of a championship so far. I'm really excited to see how the race unfolds today, if overtaking will prove as difficult as it historically has here, if the Mercs have done a step forward in race pace, how RB and Ferrari will play around with strategy and tyres.

Yes you're right. My mistake! We'll just have to wait and see what they decide....

It’s a good thing because a fine would indeed be toothless and, unless it was absolutely enormous, the team would simply swallow it up and it’d encourage the other teams to breach the cost cap. I think the FIA thought the punishments through in that sense.

Dd has just shown me a page on the F1 app where it says max has won one championship. She swears blind it said 2 yesterday.

Red Bull, meanwhile, issued a response to the findings on social media which read: "We note the findings by the FIA of 'Minor Overspend Breaches of the Financial Regulations' with surprise and disappointment.

"Our 2021 submission was below the Cost Cap limit, so we need to carefully revew the FIA's findings as our belief remains that the relevant costs are under the 2021 Cost Cap amount.

"Despite the conjecture and positioning of others, there is of course a process under the regulations with the FIA which we will respectfully follow while we consider all the options available to us."

Martin Brundle on Sky Sports has said he understands the overspend is $1.8 million.

I really hope the Sky commentators are going to speak to Horner about it. He has being adamant that RB have done nothing wrong so now it is proven that he is a liar I think he should be asked about it

So that's a couple of upgrades RB have overspent by. But not to worry it'll only be a little fine.
There's nothing to stop other teams doing this now they know they're not going to get heavily penalised

I read this morning on twitter (I think it was there) that Martin Brundle has said that any team to have been found to have broken the budget cap will have to be dealt with harshly in order to deter other teams from trying it in the future.

I really do hope that Ross Brawn follows his own words and does treat them harshly for the very reason that Brundle has said. If they come down too lightly there will be no deterrent to other teams for the future.

One other thing to come out of this is that we now know how much a floor for a Mercedes costs! 😉😉

Does anyone know how long the board (not sure if it's the FIA) has before they have to make a decision on the penalty that the two teams have to serve now that they have been found to have broken the budget price cap that they agreed to in the first place?

Toto has said they are going to overspend next year and have already factored in the fine during their costings

Zac Brown has written to FIA stating it’s cheating.

The FIA have got to do something that has real teeth, deducting either the drivers and championship points from AD or an average of points/22 races would send a clear message, a financial penalty is not going to cut it with the other teams.

I thought they should make them keep the car for next year with no improvements allowed at all

Can't believe we've got a race this weekend and still no decision on a penalty. Everyone knows that wherever Red Bull start and finish this weekend, that car is illegal. Its like saying they can have a 10 second head start and then shutting their eyes and putting their hands over their ears.

It appears RB have been informed of the penalty and are currently 'in discussions' with the FIA.

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/990d382a-50a8-11ed-af60-3f894fe60060?shareToken=c560c03dfe009f8d97213d03176f3da3

Allowing "discussions" over a penalty/fine is just bonkers, and yet another reason why no one trusts the FIA.

Saw that. I'm not entirely sure what there is to negotiate. Rules were broken, penalties need to be paid.
You can see why the other teams have got the hump.

Sky news article today seems to suggest that RBR have been offered a change to sign a breach agreement which is them agreeing that they broke the rules and they accept the punishment. Punishment likely to be less severe in that case. A bit like pleading guilty in court. So if they don't agree, punishment could be more severe.

I'll find the link in case I've misunderstood it.

Here it is

www.skysports.com/f1/news/12475/12725873/fia-makes-offer-to-red-bull-after-formula-1-cost-cap-breach-as-wait-for-punishment-drags-on

MV seems to have gone on the 'other teams are just jealous cos we're so good' defensive.

All the other teams must wonder why they bothered keeping under the budget cap when the penalty for breaching it seems like it is going to be lenient.
Makes a mockery of the sport

The FIA certainly aren't looking like the most competent governing body right now.

Christian Horner doesn't seem to be massively popular with other team principals. I wonder if, following his comments about being certain that all the top teams would be breaking the cap, that there was an agreement between everyone else to stick stringently to the rule and let him be the only one 😂

The FIA are looking ridiculous now. It's spoiling the sport.

But I'm also disappointed with Ferrari for failing to put up the competition that they should have done!

Looking forward to this weekend.

They certainly do look ridiculous and it is making me angry. How can giving a penalty take so long?

I wasn't impressed with Simon Lazenby on Sky F1 saying that the FIA were having a discussion with RBR about their "alleged" breech of the budget cap.

I thought it stopped being 'alleged' once they were found to have been in breech of the budget cap? When does it stop being 'alleged' and becomes "the FIA are having a discussion with RBR about their breech of the budget cap"????

This was something he said at the start of FP1.

I also don't get why the FIA are so covert in their behaviour. I mean they were quick enough to slap a fine on Aston Martin for Sebastian touching another car. They were equally quick to fine Mercedes for Lewis having his nose piercing in. They also fined Williams for their technical (not financial) issue around the budget cap (it was about getting documents to them a couple of days late) but all of this was open and above board. This is making an absolute joke of the sport.

It's breaking my heart to see the sport being mucked about like this.

Ferrari and McLaren have both come out and said that breaking the budget cap constitutes cheating and they want the maximum penalty allowed:
www.planetf1.com/news/zak-brown-cost-cap-breach-cheating/

www.motorsport.com/f1/news/ferrari-wants-maximum-penalties-for-f1-cost-cap-rule-breaches/10377252/

Mercedes have come out to say that they are willing to break the budget cap if the punishment to RBR isn't sufficient to deter other teams from breaking it:
www.motorsportweek.com/2022/10/14/mercedes-willing-to-breach-f1-budget-cap-if-red-bull-face-minor-penalty/

From being the creme de la creme of motorsport, in the past few years, F1 has become an absolute joke!

Is this the outcome or fall out from having Netflix in the paddock?