Red Bull: Champions or Cheaters?
Both Red Bull drivers dominating the podium at the Miami Grand Prix (Image: Getty Images)
Red Bull has managed to dominate the competition over the past couple of years, from winning the drivers championship in 2021 after an intense fight with Mercedes to dominating the standings in 2022 and bringing home both drivers and constructors championships. The team's fortune has seemed to stick with them as they have currently won every race this season, with four victories being a one-two.
However, the FIA revealed that in 2021, the team had breached the cost cap; a budget used to limit how much money teams spend during a season in hopes of bridging the gap between the top and midfield teams.
The team overspent £1.8 million throughout that season and received a £7 million fine and a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time for a year. Speculations are that Red Bull also breached the cost cap in 2022.
Did the breach give the team an advantage over the competition? There are many reasons to discuss how the breach could have contributed to Red Bull's domination and if their championships are valid.
The 2021 season saw a fierce rivalry between Max Verstappen, a driver for Red Bull, and Lewis Hamilton, a driver for Mercedes. There were numerous duels and clashes between the two drivers, and it all came down to the last race, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Verstappen and Hamilton entered the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on the same points, so it was shaping up to be a tense fight. Both drivers fought with all their might until the last remaining laps. Hamilton led the race with a significant gap to Verstappen and looked like the clear winner. However, Nicholas Latifi, a driver for Williams, crashed into the wall, which called out the safety car.
Under the safety car, Verstappen pitted for new soft tyres, but Hamilton was instructed by his team to stay out on his old hard tyres as they believed the race was finishing under the safety car. However, the FIA decided there would be one last lap of racing: Hamilton P1 on old tyres and Verstappen P2 on softer, faster tyres.
There were lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen. However, the FIA announced that only the lapped cars between the two rivals could unlap themselves instead of every lapped car, which is the standard procedure in the safety car situation.
It was a last-lap shootout that saw Verstappen overtaking Hamilton and beating him to the finish line, securing Verstappen's first world championship.
Max Verstappen after winning his first World Championship in Abu Dhabi (Image: Getty Images)
The FIA later declared that Michael Masi, director of the FIA, violated his own rules, resulting in his resignation.
Red Bull then proceeded to produce the car to beat for the 2022 season. At the start of the season, they faced some issues but overcame them and managed to secure both championships dominantly. Near the conclusion of the 2022 season, the news about the cost cap breach became known.
Red Bull claim that they went over the cost cap because of catering costs. Questions followed asking where the money meant for catering went. The speculations were that Red Bull used the money to upgrade and improve the car for 2021 and the construction of the 2022 car.
If the speculations are true, that would mean that Red Bull achieved two driver championships and one constructor's championship with an unfair advantage compared to their competitors.
The 2023 season looks like one of Red Bull's best to date which shows that the penalties they received for the breach have not affected the team. However, the 2023 car was developed throughout the 2022 season. Therefore, if the penalty affects the team, it would be in the 2024 season.
Regarding the 2022 season, six teams have been speculated to have breached the cost cap, and Red Bull is rumoured to be one. Red Bull won 17 of the races and secured both titles by a considerable margin over the rest of the field.
Is Red Bull's dominant success a result of expert engineering or a consequence of breaking the rules? Time will tell if these allegations are true or not. The FIA must investigate Red Bull for the past three seasons, and if accurate, their championships shouldn't remain.