Mattia Binotto thinks that Red Bull could be exceeding the budget cap, and that the FIA aren’t monitoring the matter closely enough.
Ferrari and Red Bull started the 2022 campaign fairly evenly matched, but the latter team have now pulled ahead in terms of both points and pace.
That was abundantly clear to see at the Belgian Grand Prix, where Max Verstappen won with ease despite the fact that he started down in P13 while the Ferrari of Carlos Sainz was on pole.
To make matters worse for Binotto and co, the Dutchman said that his team will be introducing a new, lighter chassis in the coming rounds.
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“We are getting a new chassis in the future,” he stated in Spa.
“I don’t know how much lighter it will be, but if it works it will help us.”
The Ferrari team principal is confused by this revelation as his own team don’t have the budget left to make such changes.
He therefore suspects that Verstappen’s team are exceeding the budget cap to do so, and isn’t happy with how the FIA are monitoring such matters.
“We could never afford to develop a lightweight chassis – or any other chassis – during the season because the budget doesn’t allow it,” said the Italian.
“I would be very surprised if that were possible for other teams. You have to ask yourself whether the monitoring is sufficient.
“Unfortunately, very few people keep an eye on it at the FIA. That needs to improve for the future. It would be really bad if the championship were decided by the financial rules.”
It’s unlikely that the championship will indeed be determined by such issues with Red Bull set to win both titles whether they implement changes or not.
READ: Mattia Binotto accuses Red Bull of cheating, urges FIA to take action
They currently occupy the top two spots in the Drivers’ Championship with Ferrari lead driver Charles Leclerc five points behind Sergio Perez and 98 behind Verstappen.
In the Constructors’ Championship meanwhile, the Scuderia trail their rivals by 118 points and are far closer to Mercedes, who are 41 behind them.
They’ll at least feel good about holding onto P2 given the German team’s struggles in Belgium, with the new Technical Directive not benefitting Toto Wolff’s team as they’d hoped it would.
Considering how strong they looked at the start of the season though and how many points they’ve thrown away, they’ll likely look back on the 2022 campaign in disappointment at the end of it.