Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes that the reputational damage that the Formula 1 teams will have to deal with is enough to stop them from breaching the cost cap limit in the future
Red bull’s cost cap violation during the 2021 season was the center of a major controversy in recent times. The paddock had varying opinions on how harsh the FIA should be with Red Bull regarding the punishment that they will get for breaching the cost cap.
Finally, Red Bull was fined $7 million and their allowance for the aero development was restricted by 10% for the 2023 season. Red Bull had spent around $1.8 million more than what was allowed.
Toto Wolff did not react too much to the penalty that was decided by the FIA. But he admitted during the Mexican Grand Prix weekend that he felt that it was too less considering the violation.
However, Toto Wolff pointed out that it is not only the penalty that a team has to suffer if they break the rules like this. There is a lot of damage to the reputation of the team. No team would like such bad publicity.
Toto Wolff believes that breaking the rules brings a lot of bad publicity
Toto Wolff said, “Beyond the sporting penalty and the financial penalty, which obviously resonates in the real world out there, there is a big reputational consequence.”
“And that is why I believe no team is going to put a foot wrong over the line because you don’t want to have your partners and your team dragged into this space,” he continued.
Red Bull has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism by the media and the F1 World as a whole. Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull, has constantly voiced his disapproval of the whole media trial that has gone on regarding Red Bull
He claimed that the team was put under trial since the Grand Prix in Singapore. He said that the numbers that were being put out to the public were far from reality.
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Horner said that this false accusation causes a lot of harm to the brand, its partners, and its employees. Most importantly, it takes a toll on the mental health of the people associated with the team.
