FIA admits Red Bull exploited ‘weakness’ in F1 cost cap rules

The FIA has admitted Red Bull managed to exploit a “weakness” in F1’s cost cap rules by changing Max Verstappen’s engine at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

Following Verstappen's shock Q1 elimination with a time only good enough for 16th on the grid, Red Bull elected take a pit lane start in order to make major set-up changes to the four-time world champion’s RB21.

These changes included fitting a brand new power unit, which boosted Verstappen’s remarkable charge through the field as he produced a stunning fightback drive to third place on the podium.

Red Bull’s decision prompted questions from rivals McLaren, who queried whether the engine change would impact Red Bull’s cost cap spending.

“What we've not been keen to get involved in is a situation where, when there's an engine change, we have to argue with the team or the PU manufacturer whether a bit of telemetry indicates potentially a reliability issue or not,” the FIA’s single seator director Nikolas Tombazis said.

“We don't feel we have the expertise to argue with them whether it's really a reliability or strategic change. In some cases it's obviously in one or the other camp. But when you're in that crossover area, it would be difficult.

"So this has been a weakness in the current regulations - the combination of financial plus technical and sporting - and it's been an area where we've adopted this approach where we accept these changes without getting into discussion about the impact on the cost cap.”

Tombazis stressed the effective loophole will be removed as part of the sweeping regulation changes coming in 2026.

“It has been one of the areas where next year, with the cost cap for the PU manufacturers as well as the teams, this matter is resolved,” he explained.

“The PU manufacturers would never find it convenient to make a strategic change, because each time it's going to cost them approximately the cost of an engine - a million, if it's just the internal combustion or whatever. And that will provide a natural mechanism.

“So we think it's a weakness in the current set of regulations, where there's no PU cost cap, but we think it gets resolved completely next year. It will stop being a topic of discussion.”

Red Bull defend engine change decision

Red Bull hit back at McLaren’s concerns, with chief engineer Paul Monaghan insisting there was “nothing unusual” about what his team did in Brazil.

"I'm not surprised someone has to sort of roll a hand grenade into the situation. Fine. If the situation were around the other way, we could do the same,” Monaghan said in Las Vegas.

”What we did is defendable, it's legitimate and if you go back through, even this generation of cars from say '22 to this year, people have made engine changes. There's nothing unusual in it.

"I don't think it's a grey area. As far as I'm concerned, we justified to ourselves what we were going to do. If we're questioned on it, fine, we will justify it."