Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, would have liked to have the discussion as to who might have broken the budget cap last year, as opposed to this season.
Max Verstappen’s victory in Abu Dhabi last year was a controversial one after a bizarre Safety Car restart by now former race director, Michael Masi, but the dispute over last season’s standings have cropped up again.
The FIA imposed Formula 1’s first budget cap last season, and it stood at $145 million, which the teams had to plan for accordingly.
Further, they were required to document their spending and submit that to the governing body, who would then look over the numbers to make sure there is nothing untoward.
READ: Mattia Binotto makes positive Ferrari claim after Singapore GP
Because of the complexities of the spending cap though, it has taken nine months for the FIA to complete their surveyance of last year’s expenditures.
Red Bull and Aston Martin were implicated in a report that suggested that two teams had overspent, but both teams were confused by this.
They both asserted that the FIA had not yet completed their process, and therefore cannot have concluded that anyone had broken the rules.
But on Monday, the FIA revealed that Red Bull were guilty of a minor breach, while Aston Martin had a “procedural” breach.
Binotto has expressed his frustration at the timing of the reviews.
“It’s a shame that we have to talk about this in October of the following season, because at this point it’s not just about 2021, but already about the 2022 season,” Binotto said ahead of the 2022 Japanese GP.
READ: Christian Horner demands ‘clear withdrawal’ from Mercedes and Ferrari bosses
The 52-year-old indicated that an overspend is an overspend, regardless of whether it overhangs by more than five percent.
“Let’s wait until Wednesday before we really come to a conclusion, but it’s important to understand that a violation of four million, which is considered a minor violation, is not minor,” added Binotto.
Red Bull were initially accused of spending as much as $155 million last year, but more recent evaluations suggest that they have not gone over the five percent threshold, so they are not thought to be in material breach of the financial regulations.