Williams become first F1 team to be fined under new budget cap rules

The FIA brought in a cost cap which had been set at £115m and then lowered to £111m for the 2022 campaign, aiming to limit how much any one team can spend

Williams have become the first F1 team to be fined under the new budget cap rules (Getty Images)

Williams have been hit with a £20,000 fine after breaking financial regulations for the 2021 season.

Formula 1’s governing body, the FIA, brought in a cost cap which had been set at £115m and then lowered to £111m for the 2022 campaign, so aiming to limit how much any one team can spend.

As specified by the financial regulations, Williams had failed to submit full year accounts ahead of the deadline on March 31, 2022 thereby committing a ‘procedural breach’.

Williams had, the FIA said, “voluntarily disclosed” the breach in advance of the deadline and “been fully cooperative in seeking to remedy the breach”.

Under the agreed sanctions of the ‘accepted breach agreement’, Williams had to complete their accounts fully by the end of May and also had to cover costs of the cost cap administration process.

“The decision of the Cost Cap Administration to enter into the abovementioned ABA constitutes its final decision resolving the matter and is not subject to appeal,” the FIA said.

Any non-compliance by Williams with any terms of the agreement would result in a further procedural breach and automatic referral to the Cost Cap Adjudication Panel, the FIA added.