Red Bull boss Christian Horner will fight the cheating allegations lobbied at Red Bull at the US Grand Prix this weekend. The team were found guilty of a minor breach of F1 ’s £114million spending cap which occurred en route to Max Verstappen’s controversial first world title last year.
According to The Mail, Horner was informed of the breach just an hour after the Dutch driver became a two-time world champion by winning the Japanese Grand Prix. It is understood that Red Bull were hurt by the timing of the FIA’s announcement and since then the communication between the two parties has been minimal.
It is believed Horner and co want the details of the FIA’s findings to be released to the public in an attempt to prove they did not overspend in order to enhance the performance of their car. Rather, the additional spending catered for things such as catering, sick pay and gardening leave, which combined may amount to half or more of the total breach amount.
Red Bull will have to decide whether to accept the 'accepted breach agreement' (ABA) – thought likely to be both financial and sporting – or challenge the ruling. But should they accept the ABA, they would be admitting to wrongdoing, and should they go down a legal route, another potentially long and drawn out process beckons.
This is something Red Bull would want to avoid following the taxing end and fallout to the 2021 season following Verstappen’s contentious title victory over Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi. Horner will come face-to-face with rivals team principals Mattia Binotto of Ferrari and Mercedes’ Toto Wolff this weekend, two of the most vocal men regarding calls for Red Bull to be punished for their breach.
The trio will be grouped together in a press conference ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas this Sunday. It is likely the 48-year-old will also have to confront McLaren boss Zak Brown, who wrote a letter to the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem suggesting Red Bull breaching the budget cap is ‘cheating’.
Ahead of the US GP, Horner hailed Verstappen as Red Bull’s greatest driver of all time. He claimed the most podium finishes in a season in 2021 and has taken 12 wins in 18 races so far in 2022.
“The great thing is he is just open to pushing himself in all areas, he always feels there’s more to be had,” the Red Bull team boss explained.
“He is quite clearly the most talented driver that I think we have had in one of our cars.” A victory in Austin this weekend would draw Verstappen level with the all-time record of most wins in a season by any driver.
