- Mercedes driver says integrity of sport is at stake
- Max Verstappen refuses to be drawn on issue
Lewis Hamilton has insisted the FIA must act decisively and with appropriate tough measure if any teams are found to have broken Formula One’s budget cap regulations. The seven-times champion said the integrity of the sport was at stake and pointedly noted how last season his Mercedes rivals Red Bull appeared to be spending heavily on upgrading their car.
At last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix unproven allegations emerged that Red Bull had exceeded the £114m budget cap set for 2021. The team strenuously denied that they had breached the budget with the FIA currently assessing all the teams’ financial submissions for compliance with the cap. On Wednesday they were due to announce their conclusions but instead issued a statement declaring that their judgment had yet to be reached and would be delayed until Monday.