Aston Martin accepts procedural F1 cost cap breach over delayed signature

The Aston Martin Formula 1 team has accepted a procedural breach of its 2024 cost cap filings amid a long delay over the FIA's publication of its findings.

Teams are required to hand over their documentation to show they have complied with F1's cost cap by 31 March of the following year.

Following close examination by the FIA's Cost Cap Administration, the results are usually published in September, while teams are handed compliance certificates.

Those certificates have not been forthcoming this year, suggesting that serious investigations are still on-going on whether or not all teams have complied.

Autosport understands at least two teams have been the subject of a potential breach, with it now understood that one of them is Aston Martin, which has agreed an Accepted Breach Settlement over missing the 31 March deadline.

Sources have indicated that while the Silverstone-based squad had prepared its documentation in time to hand over to the FIA, its auditor was unable to provide a crucial signature due to extenuating circumstances beyond the team's control.

Photo by: Dom Romney / Motorsport Images

It is understood that Aston Martin has otherwise complied with the 2024 cost cap itself, and as it acted in good faith the squad's penalty is limited to a fine covering the additional paperwork.

As part of article 6.28 of F1's financial regulations, an Accepted Breach Agreement is a mechanism whereby the FIA suggests a penalty for a "procedural breach or a minor overspend breach", which is then accepted by the team in question.

"If the Cost Cap Administration determines that an F1 Team has committed a Procedural Breach or a Minor Overspend Breach, the Cost Cap Administration may propose sanctions for such breach, which should be based on the same factors, including aggravating and mitigating factors, that the Cost Cap Adjudication Panel would take into account under these Financial Regulations for such breach pursuant to Article 8," says the article.

"If the F1 Team accepts the breach and the proposed sanctions the Cost Cap Administration may enter into an accepted breach agreement (an "ABA") with the F1 Team reflecting the acceptance. There shall be no right of appeal in respect of any decision by the Cost Cap Administration as to whether to enter into an ABA or not."

Last year, Alpine and Honda were the last parties to settle an ABA with the FIA after procedural breaches in their 2023 power unit cost cap filings.

With the FIA waiting to publish the full 2024 compliance data at once, Aston's minor breach doesn't fully explain the lengthy delay, with it understood at least one more unnamed team has been the subject of investigation.

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Photo by: Gabriele Lanzo / Alessio Morgese / NurPhoto via Getty Images

The last time an F1 team breached the cost cap itself was Red Bull in 2021, which was found to have overspent by 5%. It landed the team a $7m fine as well as a 10% reduction in wind tunnel and CFD testing.

When asked for comment, an FIA spokesperson said: "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. 

"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.”