Amid the growing drama surrounding the budget cap issue in the F1 community, it seems McLaren boss, Zak Brown, has a bone to pick with the FIA. He lately wrote a formal letter addressing his displeasure regarding the breach of rules.
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As Red Bull was declared guilty of a ‘minor’ breach of the budget rules, Brown believes that the penalties must be relevant to the unfair advantage the team has held this season. Zak emphasizes that the overspending benefits Red Bull with car improvements this year and the upcoming year, which gives them an unfair advantage. Ergo, they should be penalized financially as well as on track.
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Brown believes that it is only fair to take the right measures to correct the mistake, as a breach of this nature constitutes as cheating and should be taken seriously. He wrote an official letter addressing the president of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and copied to the F1 president, Stefano Domenicali.
The letter was also sent to the other teams that were diligent with following the rules and weren’t guilty of any kind of breach. These included Mercedes, Ferrari, Alpine, Alfa Romeo, and Haas.
SPIELBERG, AUSTRIA – JULY 04: McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown looks on from the pitwall before the F1 Grand Prix of Austria at Red Bull Ring on July 04, 2021 in Spielberg, Austria. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The letter read, “Any team who have overspent have gained an unfair advantage both in the current and following year’s car development. The bottom line is any team who has overspent has gained an unfair advantage both in the current and following year’s car development.”
“The overspend breach, and possibly the procedural breaches, constitute cheating by offering a significant advantage across technical, sporting and financial regulations”
“We suggest that the overspend should be penalized by way of a reduction to the team’s cost cap in the year following the ruling, and the penalty should be equal to the overspend plus a further fine,” wrote the American.
McLaren boss Zak Brown demands transparency from the FIA
As a team boss that sincerely adhered to the rules, Zak Brown demands the FIA to come clean and be transparent about the extent of the breach that did take place. He believes that the FIA owes it to all the teams to showcase utmost transparency, so everyone can be on the same page.
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AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 22: McLaren Chief Executive Officer Zak Brown talks in the Team Principals Press Conference during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of USA at Circuit of The Americas on October 22, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images)
Brown further said, “It will also be important to understand if, after the first full year of running and investigating the scheme, there needs to be further clarity on certain matters or any key learnings. Again, any insights or learnings should be shared across all teams – there can be no room for loopholes.”
He also stressed that the budget cap rule is the reason a lot of new investors have come into the picture for the F1 community and, therefore, firmly executing the rules is paramount to the sport.
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Watch This Story: Rule Regulation of Controversial F1 Budget Cost Cap
How do you think will the FIA go about this situation? What, according to you, is fair play?
