Max Verstappen has insisted he is not concerned about the situation surrounding Red Bull’s breach of Formula 1’s budget cap regulations after the FIA reportedly submitted an offer to bring an end to the saga. The Milton Keynes-based manufacturer have been offered the chance to accept the governing body’s terms of punishment and the Dutchman believes the team will come out of the situation on a positive note.
The 25-year-old has been facing an anxious wait to discover his fate after the team were found to have incurred a ‘minor breach’ by the FIA, with a reported £2million overspend beyond the £114m budget.
It was thought Red Bull could face a financial and/or sporting penalty as punishment for breaching the rules on budget caps, despite the team’s protests that there have been misinterpretations of the regulations. That includes the possiblity of docking points from last season, with Verstappen potentially being stripped of his title.
The FIA have reportedly submitted an offer to Red Bull which, if they accept the terms of the agreement, will make their punishment public and show on the record they agreed they breached the regulations. If they refuse, it could go to an adjudication panel, with the proceedings thought to be behind closed doors.
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Red Bull head into the United States Grand Prix in Austin knowing they can clinch the Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 2013, despite the ongoing uncertainty with regards to the cost cap breach.
Asked if the team were concerned, Verstappen told Sky Sports F1: “No, from what I heard within the team I think we really understand where we are at, from our side. But at the end of the day of course, it’s something between the team and the FIA, they have to sort out, so I’m just focused on the driving part.”
The Dutchman clinched his second Drivers’ Championship title with victory at the Japanese Grand Prix after Charles Leclerc was demoted to third place following a penalty, making him the second-youngest double champion in the sport’s history behind Sebastian Vettel.
And Verstappen spoke what it felt like to be a two-time champion, revealing he did not celebrate his title triumph until the week after his Suzuka triumph.
“Of course, at the end of the day nothing really changes but it has been a great year for us and it’s just nice to relax at the moment,” he added.
When asked about if he celebrated on the night of his win in Suzuka, he replied: “Not so much on Sunday night because we headed back home for Europe. But towards the weekend after I invited some good friends of mine for like dinner and a few drinks. It was good! You have to appreciate how the season has been going so far.
“It has been completey different circumstances and the cars are completely different. I think we learned a lot from last year, we have a really good group of people and I think this year, the car was even more competitive than last year.”