But for Red Bull, how harsh do you get? Sources suggest the overspend could relate to catering and sick pay but the rules are hugely complex and the FIA will also want to work out if it feels any of the breach is due to intentional overspending or the result of a mistake given Red Bull’s claim it was below.
And you have to maintain an open mind, because the FIA’s announcement has left so much unanswered for people to run with. Only stating it is a minor overspend breach and giving no further detail means Red Bull could be guilty of spending more than $7million (£6.32m) over the cap, or similarly it could be over to the tune of a few dollars in a couple of areas.
That was first reported by one of the tabloid newspapers more than a week ago, and yet last Wednesday at the 11th hour the FIA stated it hadn’t yet completed its review of the submissions and pushed back the announcement to today. An announcement that followed very closely what had been openly talked about for weeks.
The reasons for that remain unknown, but they hardly paint the picture the FIA is meant to be painting right now.
The cost cap is supposed to be levelling the playing field in Formula 1, and while it was always going to become a key battleground, the first year requires a firm and clear response from the governing body to ensure the whole process has a chance of working.
Instead, fans are left wondering if deals have already been made behind the scenes and get-out clauses have been sought in order to find ways to avoid major penalties that could have a material impact on the championships that have now been decided after a turbulent past 12 months for the FIA.
And that cynicism could be wholly misplaced if indeed Red Bull’s overspend is extremely minor and easily explained, but despite “transparency” being a buzzword around the cost cap, the lack of it from both sides means it is fully understandable.
These accounts were provided over six months ago. By now, the FIA should have been in a position to give more detail and a clear process that will follow. Instead, even the teams that have been named as in breach don’t know what comes next, let alone fans of the sport.
The FIA says it “is currently determining the appropriate course of action to be taken”, and while it does that, Red Bull finds itself under extreme fire.
Finding out whether that is justified or not will have to wait even longer. How long? Your guess is as good as mine.