24/10/2025
NEWS STORY
Aston Martin has accepted responsibility for breaching the cost cap in 2024 due to a procedural error.
The FIA should have issued compliance certificates to all the teams by the end of September, and failure to do so has led to speculation over potential breaches.
Consequently the sport's governing body issued a brief statement.
"The FIA's Cost Cap Administration is in the process of finalising the review of the 2024 submissions from Teams and Power Unit Manufacturers, the result of which is expected to be communicated shortly," it read.
"The FIA does not comment on individual submissions made by specific Teams and/or Power Unit Manufacturers and, as per established practice, the results of the review will be made public once assessment of all submissions are completed and finalised."
It is understood that Aston Martin signed an Accepted Breach Agreement after a required signature was missing from the accounts due on 31 March. The Silverstone-based outfit then then re-submitted its paperwork with the signature now present.
The team did not overspend the $135m cap and the issue solely concerned the missing signature, thought to be due to the person responsible being off sick.
However, there is speculation that another team has breached the cap, with the word "substantially" being used.
Breaching the cap can lead to significant punishment not limited to fines, Red Bull losing wind tunnel and CFD testing time after breaching the $145m limit in 2021 - the first year of the cap - by 1.6%. Though defined by the FIA as a 'minor' breach, effectively less than 5% of the cap, the team was also fined $7m.
The Austrian team claimed the breach was mainly due to misinterpretation of the regulations regarding catering, staffing, and power unit costs.