Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s plan to ‘break F1 rules’ may become reality

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff could be set to break F1 rules after Red Bull were handed their punishment for making a minor breach of the 2021 budget. There had been calls for Max Verstappen’s team to receive a points deduction, which could potentially have seen them lose last year’s title to Lewis Hamilton after they were found guilty of overspending. But on Friday it was revealed that the Dutchman would keep hold of his first championship.Although Red Bull keep the title, they have been hit with a 10 per cent reduction in their car development allowance, and handed a £6.3million fine after the FIA confirmed on Friday that Red Bull broke the budget cap by £1.8m.Wolff will not be happy, however, as Verstappen could have received a potential advantage over Hamilton last year, and they may have been further ahead in their development of this year’s car as the Dutch driver raced to back-to-back championship wins.When news first broke that Red Bull may have broken the financial rules, Wolff claimed that he could respond with his own breach of the budget. ‘If Red Bull had overspent by two million, they could close the matter by paying the FIA five times, therefore ten million,’ Wolff told Corriere dello Sport.JUST IN: Max Verstappen has new Red Bull target but refuses to make change Mercedes chief Toto Wolff could break the financial rules after Red Bull’s fine. (Image: GETTY)’And in any case it would not be fair because it would sanction the right to cheat by paying a fine. Mercedes have already talked about it and, if this were really the point of failure, Mercedes is ready to plan extra budget and related fine to recover performance and return to the top.’As Red Bull were only punished financially rather than with a points penalty, Wolff could be set to retaliate by going over next year’s budget. Verstappen’s team avoided a more severe penalty as they admitted to the breach by agreeing to an ‘accepted breach agreement’ (ABA) after initially insisting that they followed the rules.DON’T MISSMartin Brundle details private message from Brad Pitt after US GP snubLewis Hamilton ‘turns the tide’ on Russell to avoid Verstappen repeatMercedes’ controversial car change for Mexico GP despite legal doubts Mercedes chief Toto Wolff could be set to retaliate after Red Bull’s punishment. (Image: GETTY)