Ferrari have been left unhappy with the penalty given to Red Bull for breaching the cost cap, with the Italian outfit expressing concerns over whether it will have much of an impact. It was confirmed on 28 October that the Milton Keynes-based squad are required to pay a $7 million fine and forfeit 10% of their aerodynamic development allowance after agreeing a settlement with the FIA for breaching the $145m budget cap. While Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has stated that the punishment could cost the squad "up to half a second per lap" , Ferrari's Racing Director, Laurent Mekies, feels that the penalty is not enough for the amount that Red Bull exceeded the cap by. "We have talked a lot in recent weeks about what one can do with half a million more, or a million or two or three," Mekies told Sky Italia . "Two million [euros] is a significant amount and we have given our opinion several times on this topic. "We at Ferrari think that this amount is worth around a couple of tenths [per lap] and so it's easy to understand that these figures can have a real impact on the outcome of the races, and maybe even a championship."
Ferrari voice concerns over Red Bull penalty
Mekies has detailed the key reasons why Ferrari are disappointed with the penalty given to Red Bull. "As for the penalty, we are not happy with it, for two important reasons," he explained. "The first is that we at Ferrari do not understand how the 10% reduction of the ATR can correspond to the same amount of lap time that we mentioned earlier. "Furthermore, there is another problem in that. Since there is no cost cap reduction in the penalty, the basic effect is to push the competitor to spend the money elsewhere. "It has total freedom to use the money it can no longer spend on use of the wind tunnel and CFD due to the 10% reduction, on reducing the weight of the car, or who knows what else. "Our concern is that the combination of these two factors means the real effect of the penalty is very limited."
Mekies and Ferrari support the FIA
Despite this, Mekies has praised the FIA for reaching a "very clear conclusion" in the case and voiced his hopes that Formula 1 can start to move on. "We have no choice but to move on and I believe it is very important for us and also for the whole of F1 and the fans, that for 2022, we do not have to wait until next October to see the outcome of the accounts," Mekies added. "We will support the FIA to do what is needed to reach a conclusion as quickly as possible." Ferrari are not the only team to have shared their opinion on the punishment given to Red Bull. McLaren CEO Zak Brown has called for sanctions to be stronger in the future , while Mercedes' Toto Wolff suggested that Red Bull had suffered "reputational damage" in the saga.
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