F1 CEO Calls Out FIA Over Slow Verdicts On Cost Cap Breaches
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has expressed his concern over the time it takes for the FIA to deliver verdicts on whether teams have adhered to the cost cap regulations. The cost cap regulations, which came into effect in 2021, are aimed at ensuring that teams do not spend more than the agreed amount during a season.
However, Domenicali has called for the FIA to expedite its assessments of the teams' finances in order to maintain the credibility of the sport. He believes that the current situation, where verdicts are delivered months after the season has ended, is not ideal and that assessments should be done "earlier than later."
During an interview with Sky Sports, Domenicali explained:
“For the credibility of the sport this kind of action, to check if everyone is respecting that rule, has to be done earlier than later.
“So we are discussing, and this is on the FIA’s side to make sure that the control and the certification would be done much earlier. Because the effect on and if some teams will be out of it, has to be done in a proper way in as short a time as possible to be more credible.
“We see other sports that are taking the financial regulation with, in my opinion, too long time for a reaction and this is not good.”
In 2021, it was not until October that it was officially confirmed that Red Bull had breached the cost cap. The delay in the verdict has caused concern among fans and stakeholders who want to see a more efficient process for enforcing the cost cap.
Domenicali went on to add that he believes there will be no breaches for the 2022 season. He continued:
“I think that first of all, we don’t have to forget one thing that the step change of financial regulation in F1 has been a step change in the governance of that sport.
“And I was thinking that we could have even more problems to manage because the dimensions of the complexity, it is really huge.
“I’m pretty sure that everyone understanding now what is the effect, if there is something not going well in that dimension, that is new. So I totally agree that the focus on these actually would be very big.”