Lewis Hamilton raises a poignant concern regarding potential repercussions arising from the perceived leniency towards cost cap violations.
The multiple Formula One champion cautions that this perceived lack of punishment may pave the way for a growing number of teams to breach the prescribed budget limitations.
Recent speculations echo throughout the racing community, hinting at a disconcerting reality where as many as three teams on the grid might have exceeded the allocated £105 million budget for the highly anticipated 2022 season.
The latest developments unfold in the aftermath of Red Bull’s astounding £5.4 million penalty for their transgressions during the gripping 2021 season.
These revelations came to light during the latter part of the previous racing campaign, leaving a lasting impact on the sport.
As the anticipation builds for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix, reports surface concerning potential new violations that could mar the integrity of the competition.
In an interview with Sky Sports, Hamilton openly shared his thoughts on the matter: “It’s definitely a concern. I mean, there wasn’t really a big punishment last time.
“There will be people that will probably go for it again and know they’re just going to get a slap on the wrist.”
With an unwavering stance, George Russell shared similar sentiments with teammate Hamilton. The 25-year-old urges F1’s governing body, the FIA, to exhibit a more stringent and draconian stance when dealing with any teams found to have breached the budget cap.
“If anyone has breached any regulation, you want the punishment to represent the crime and I think there were breaches last year and clearly the punishment didn’t fit the crime.
“We don’t want to see that happen again. If it’s a second-time offender, the punishment should be even greater than what is perhaps a fair punishment if it happens two years in a row.
“I trust in the FIA, I think [president] Mohammed [Ben Sulayem] is a great force there as well. They won’t let anyone get away with anything that shouldn’t have happened under their watch so I’ve got faith in them.”
