Aston Martin did not gain advantage over cost cap breach

Aston Martin has been found to have breached Formula 1's cost cap rules along with Red Bull, according to results from the FIA's auditing of financials for the 2021 season.

While the team was not found to have breached the cost cap spending limit of $145 million, they were found to have committed a 'procedural breach' of the rules.

RacingNews365 understands that the procedural breach for Aston Martin centred on a number of administrative accounting protocols.

This was as a result of variations in complex regulatory interpretation. The team did not overspend or gain any competitive advantage from committing the breach.

Procedural breaches can include late submissions, failure to submit interim documents, failure to cooperate with written requests from the FIA Cost Cap Administration, or submitting paperwork which is deemed inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading.

FIA previously fine Williams for procedural breach

As a result of the procedural breach, Aston Martin has not been awarded a Certificate of Compliance and will be subject to a penalty under the cost cap rules.

Earlier this year Williams was also fined $25,000 for a procedural breach of the regulations owing to the complexity of the process.

This meant the team entered an Accepted Breach Agreement with the FIA. While the team made their submission on time, the penalty was issued due to a late submission from their third-party auditor.