Alpine and Honda in ‘procedural breach’ of power unit cost cap
Alpine and Honda have both been found to have made procedural breaches of the new Formula 1 power unit financial regulations, the FIA has announced.
The cost cap for power unit manufacturers was only implemented for the first time last year, to regulate the cost and development of the new power units that will be introduced in 2026. Reporting its findings of the first set of accounts, the FIA’s Cost Cap Administration (CCA), stated that four of the power unit suppliers were found to be compliant — Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Powertrains and Audi — but there were discrepancies from Alpine and Honda that did not relate to an overspend.
“The CCA confirms that although Alpine Racing SAS and HRC (Honda) have both been found to be in procedural breach, neither have exceeded the cost cap level,” the FIA said. “Both Alpine Racing SAS and HRC have acted at all times in good faith and are currently cooperating with the CCA to finalize the matter.
“Considering the nature of the breach, the complexities of the new financial regulations for PU manufacturers and the challenges associated with their first year of implementation it is the CCA’s intention to propose to these two PU manufacturers to settle their respective breaches by means of an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA).”
The CCA adds that should an ABA be reached with either of the power unit manufacturers, a summary of that agreement will be published as soon as possible.
The financial regulations for power unit manufacturers are separate to those for teams, and the FIA has announced that all 10 Formula 1 teams were found to be compliant with the 2023 financial regulations.