Red Bull ‘got around’ a cost cap process labelled a ‘farce’ by former F1 team owner

Red Bull were fined £6m and docked 10% of car development time after a minor breach of the 2021 Formula 1 budget cap regulations

Eddie Jordan has labelled the Formula 1 cost cap process a ‘farce’ and insists Red Bull ‘got around’ the rules given their superiority in the sport currently.

Red Bull, who won both world championships last year and the Drivers’ title in 2021, were found guilty of a minor overspend of the 2021 budget cap regulations – the first year such restrictions have been imposed on teams.

Christian Horner’s team were fined £6m and docked 10% of their allotted car development time – involving wind-tunnel runs and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) testing – but so far that punishment has not impacted the frontrunners.

Red Bull have won three out of three races at the start of 2023 and look set to dominate for the second year running, with their rapid RB19 at times lapping a second quicker than the rest of the field on raceday.

Jordan, who founded his own F1 team and was also a pundit on BBC’s coverage of the sport from 2009-2015, slammed the sport’s financial regulations and insists they have not had the “desired effect.”

“I think the cost cap is a farce,” the 75-year-old said.

“Nowadays, if you give somebody a rule, they will get around it. If you push a set of rules in front of a person, they are there to be circumvented.

“I don’t understand the cost cap because I think it is virtually impossible to police. So, I can’t answer to whether it was unfair on Red Bull other than the fact that it didn’t have the desired effect because now look at what they’ve done.”

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur also said last week that Red Bull’s penalty was “light” in wake of their cost cap breach.

Red Bull were fined £6m and docked 10% of car development time after a minor breach of the 2021 F1 cost cap (Getty Images)

Jordan added that the “challenge is daunting” for the other nine teams trying to compete with Red Bull this season.

Despite Aston Martin’s emergence, at this stage it looks likely to be a battle for second between Aston, Mercedes and Ferrari.

“I think it is such a big ask to see how anyone is going to compete with Red Bull,” Jordan, speaking in association with London Luxury Afloat, said.

“I would like to say it’s too early, but in my heart, I think it’s done. I just can’t see anyone with the strength, knowledge, speed, and capacity of Red Bull, and especially the drivers.

“The challenge is daunting.”

After a month-long break due to the cancellation of the Chinese Grand Prix, F1 returns next week with the first sprint weekend of the new season in Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix (28-30 April).