F1 Mexico City Grand Prix: The 13 ways Red Bull overspent in F1 2021

The FIA has revealed that Red Bull incorrectly calculated costs in 13 areas in their F1 cost cap submission - but what were they?
Race winner and World Champion Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16B celebrates in parc
Race winner and World Champion Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB16B celebrates in parc

On Friday, the FIA announced Red Bull’s punishment for 👍their minor breach of🐎 the F1 cost cap.

168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:The FI⭕A revealed that Red Bull’s 🦩breach was $2.2m (£1.86m) or 1.6 percent, but had a tax credꦅit been app꧅lied correctly, it would have been only $0.5m (£432,653). 

There were 13 areas that were incorrectly interpreted by Red Bull in thei𝄹r submission, including catering, power units and unused parts.

Christian Horner (GBR), Red Bull Racing Team Principal during his press conference about cost cap breach. Formula 1 World
Christian Horner (GBR), Red Bull Racing Team Principal during his press conference about cost…

The 13 items in full - listed by the FIA:

1. Overstated excluded costs pursuant to Article 3.1(a) of the Financial🀅 Regulations (concerning catering services)

2. Costs pursuant to Article 3.1(w) of the Financial Reg🅷ulations (conce💫rning consideration and associated employer’s social security contributions)

3. Costs pursuant to Article 3.1(h)(i) of the Financial Regulations (in respect of Non-F1 Actiꦍvities), as those costs had already b♏een offset within Total Costs of the Reporting Group

4. Costs pursuant to Article 3.1(k) of the Financial Regulation𓂃s (in respect of bonus and associated empl🎀oyer’s social security contributions)

5. Understatement of Relevant Costs in respect of a gain on disposal of fixed assets by failing to make the necessary upwards adj𝐆ustment.

6. Costs pursuant to Article 3.1(💮q) of the Financial Regulations (concerning apprenticeship levies)

7. Costs pursuant to Article 3.1(h)(ii)(i) of the Financial Regulations (concerning consider🙈ation and associated employer’s social security contributions)

8. Understatement of Relevant Costs in respect of provisions set forth by Article 4.1(a)(i) of the Financial Regu✃lations (concerning the cost of use of Power Units)

9. Costs pursuant to Article 3.1(h) (i𒀰) ꧅of the Financial Regulations (concerning consideration and associated employer’s social security contributions)

10. Understatement of Relevant Costs in respect of provisions set forth by Article 4.1(f)(i)(B) of the Financial Regulations (concerning use of inv❀entories)

11. Clerical error in r🌸espect of RBR’s calculation of certain costs recharged to it by Red Bu꧑ll Powertrains Limited

12. Certain travel costs pursuant to Article 3.1(r) o🐟f the Financial Regulations

13.♔ Costs of maintenance pursuant to Article 3.1(i) of the Financial Regulatio🦄ns

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner addressed the media ahead of Friday practice for the F1 Mexico Ciℱty Grand Prix, responding to the FIA’s cost cap verdict and the 13 aforementioned items.

Christian Horner (GBR) Red Bull Racing Team Principal in a press conference regarding the outcome of the cost cap breach.
Christian Horner (GBR) Red Bull Racing Team Principal in a press conference regarding the…

Overspending on unused parts

Horner cited a number of example🐲s of where Red Bull disagreed wಌith the FIA’s judgement which led to their overspend in 2021.

One of them was the topic of unused parts.

It is understood that the FIA issued a clarification to the teams in June - several months after R🀅ed Bull’s submission - on how parts are factored into the submission.

Horner explained that had Red Bull been allowed to factor in this clar✨ificati♎on, that’d have accounted for £1.2 million.

“Our overspend relates to several areas,” he said.” “One, of course, was the tax. Two was the change to the regulations in June after the submission that had we been allowed to re-submit would have had a benefit to us in the region of £1.2 million in unused parts and the way those unused parts are account🌟ed for, and we believe have been adopted by other teams within their submissions.”

Catering costs

Another area Red Bull overspent on was catering.

Horner explained that Red Bull thought supplying tea🧸m members and visitors with food was excluded from the cost cap.

“Catering costs - a lot was made of us giving our staff too much food this year. Catering costs, we believed, were excluded, and again, jཧust to put it into context. When we submitted our submission, we were £3.7 million under the threshold. 

“Catering within Red Bull has always been a benefit that h𒆙as been provided by the group. It’s a benefit of working within the Red Bull group - free food and beverage has been provided. Therefore as something as a Red Bullไ policy we viewed it as an excludable cost. Aggressive, but we felt acceptable. 

“The FIA took a different viewpoint on that and said that food was not excludable. Fair eno🌳ugh but what was included was the entire catering bill of the entire company. So £1.4 million was the food, drink, coffees, any of you that attended Milton Keynes during the last 12 months have contributed to our overspend.”

Red Bull Powertrains

In relation to the eighth bullet point outlined by the FIA, there▨ was a disagreement over how Red Bull Powertrains is factored into the team’s submission.

“Red Bull powertrains have 🍰nothing to do with Red Bull Racing,” Horner added. “Their costs are included. A diff𒐪erence of opinion on how that was applied.”

Sick pay

Horner defended Red Bull’s overspen💦ding on sick pay, another example of where they thought it would be excluded from the cost cap.

“We had a difference of opinion on sick pay,” he explained. “We have always taken a view that we wanted to support our staff in sickness and in health. When members of staff have been on long term sickness we have supported them and we will cont🌳inue to do so in the future. 

“We felt that the sick pay because it had no function in the grand prix team for a period of eight months was an excludable cost. Unfortun꧙ately, the regulations can be interpreted in two ways. 

“Had the person died, which thankfully they didn’t, the cost would have ♑been excludable. Thankfully they didn’t die but therefore the cost was includable for that sick period.”

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