Valtteri Bottas has insisted on "strict and harsh" penalties for Red Bull after they breached the cost cap restrictions. Red Bull were the only team to be found to have broken the cost cap regulations in 2021, committing a "minor" breach of the $145 million limit imposed on teams. The team itself have denied the breach and believe that they came in under, but RacingNews365.com understands the overspend was by $1.8 million. Despite this, Bottas believes that the proverbial book should be thrown at Red Bull for the overspend, given that the other nine teams managed to stay under the limit.
Bottas on cost cap breach
"Rules are rules, and if you don't follow them, there should be a penalty that really hurts," the Finn explained to media, including RacingNews365.com. "I personally hope it is a strict and harsh penalty because it shouldn't happen. "Rules are the rules – there are many rules in F1 and there should be no difference in terms of the penalty." With Bottas having raced for Mercedes in his final season with the team in 2021, the 33-year-old recalls being a part of the Constructors' Championship battle between the Silver Arrows and Red Bull. It was eventually Mercedes who won, though the team lost out on the Drivers' Championship, with Max Verstappen beating Lewis Hamilton to the crown at the season-closing Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. "Let's hope it is a good penalty that really, really hurts them, because I was in the fight last year for the Constructors' [with Red Bull]," Bottas said. "Yes, we got that but we missed the Drivers' title by a few points, and a few millions, it can make a big, big difference."
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