Alpine and Honda procedural breaches identified in FIA F1 2023 cost cap review

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The FIA has found procedural breaches with Alpine and Honda in its F1 2023 cost cap review, but all 10 teams were found in compliance with the budget restrictions last season.

While no cost cap breaches were found on the Formula 1 grid in 2023, the FIA did find two procedural breaches with Alpine and Honda as power unit manufacturers respectively, with both currently co-operating with the FIA’s Cost Cap Administration.

Alpine and Honda PU procedural breaches found in FIA 2023 cost cap review

The FIA revealed that all four power unit manufacturers, Alpine, Honda, Mercedes and Ferrari were in compliance with the 2023 review, with this being the first season that financial regulations were being monitored for Formula 1’s engine makers.

But procedural breaches for Alpine and Honda, the latter Red Bull’s power unit partners, were found. The nature of the breach was not identified specifically by the FIA, but these breaches can be defined by rule breaks such as late submissions of documents, submitting paperwork deemed ‘inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading’ or failure to follow requests by the CCA.

In a statement, the FIA confirmed all 10 teams and all four PU manufacturers were within the 2023 budgetary constraints, but added in the case of Alpine and Honda: “The CCA confirms that although Alpine Racing SAS and HRC [Honda Racing Corporation] have both been found to be in Procedural Breach, neither have exceeded the Cost Cap level.

“Both Alpine Racing SAS and HRC have acted at all times in good faith and are currently cooperating with the CCA to finalise the matter.

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“Considering the nature of the breach, the complexities of the new Financial Regulations for PU Manufacturers and the challenges associated with their first year of implementation it is the CCA’s intention to propose to these two PU Manufacturers to settle their respective breaches by means of an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA).

“A summary of the ABAs, if accepted by these two PU Manufacturers, will be published once finalised as provided for by the Financial Regulations.”

This is not the first example of a procedural breach in the cost cap era, with Williams having been fined $25,000 in 2022 for failing to file their 2021 accounts on time.

Aston Martin were later fined $450,000 for a procedural breach of their own that season, relating to incorrectly excluding and/or adjusting costs surrounding the building of their new Silverstone factory.

Both teams acted “in good faith” and took an Accepted Breach Agreement [ABA], to settle their cases, and in Aston Martin’s case, the FIA clarified “there is no accusation or evidence that AMR [Aston Martin Racing] has sought or obtained any undue advantage as a result of the breach.”

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