Rules are rules, and no one can breach them regardless of any excuse they present themselves with. F1 and the FIA are extremely strict about drivers’ and teams’ rules and regulations. If they do not comply, the punishment is imposed through fines and reducing wind tunnel time.
Here we look at the highest fines ever received in the sport’s history, including big names like McLaren, Ferrari, Schumacher etc. The FIA is the governing body, and it has already set the rules and regulations one has to follow during their time in the sport.
McLaren faced a record-breaking $100 million fine, making F1 history in 2007
McLaren received the largest fine in motorsport and any sporting history as they had to pay a whopping $100 million in fines and legal fees to the FIA for a breach of rules in 2007. Back then, Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were driving for the team.
After a McLaren employee was discovered to have detailed documentation about the design of the 2007 Ferrari F2007 car, the incident—dubbed “Spygate”—became the season’s most talked-about topic. This resulted from the employee’s wife taking the documentation to a UK photocopying shop, where a suspicious customer alerted Ferrari’s Maranello factory.
Nando, Lewis, and test driver Pedro de la Rosa were all called before the FIA and were promised immunity in exchange for credible information. While McLaren was hit with a disqualification from the Constructors’ Championship and a staggering 100 million dollar fine, Alonso and Hamilton could continue competing in the Drivers’ Championship as it was proved they had no part in this.
Later, McLaren openly revealed that some team members had accessed Ferrari’s technical data and expressed regret that it had taken an FIA investigation to resolve the matter. They paid the whole fine by 2008 and apologised once again to the media and the fans for engaging in illicit manners.
List of top 5 teams that faced the most expensive penalties in F1 history
The fifth place was occupied by Aston Martin in 2022 with a $450,000 fine. They were given a $450,000 liability for a procedural breach under the new Financial Regulations that covered the 2021 season, which came with a cost cap for the teams to spend on developing the cars.
The fourth place was occupied by Ferrari in 2002 with a $1,000,000 fine. The Prancing Horse was penalised with a massive fine following the dubious 2002 Austrian Grand Prix when Barrichello and Michael Schumacher swapped places at the very last moment upon team order to ensure the German driver won the race and maintained his position in the championship leaderboard.
The third place is not for a team but for the Turkish Grand Prix organisers in 2006, with a fine of $5,000,000 for some unusual podium politics. Massa had won first place in the 2006 race for Ferrari. The trophy was handed to him by Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat. He was labelled as “the President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” on television. This did not sit well with the public as the leadership issue was questioned deeply during that time. The organisers used the F1 race to get free PR.
The second place is occupied by the current favourites Red Bull Racing in 2022 with a fine of $7,000,000 for exceeding the cost cap by £1.9 million ($2.3 million). After accepting the allegations, Red Bull was offered an Accepted Breach Agreement which enclosed a fine of $7 million and a 10% hair cut of reduction in wind tunnel development time for the 2023 season.
The first place is occupied by McLaren, as talked about earlier. It is interesting to note that while F1 can make you billions, it can also cost you millions.
