© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Dutch F1 reporter Rick Winkelman says the FIA is still in discussion with Red Bull over the employment status of the team’s CTO Adrian Newey.
After the FIA announced that Red Bull has breached the 2021 budget cap, rumours came out saying Adrian Newey’s contract status is one of the main points of contention.
Newey is Red Bull’s Chief Technical Officer, but apparently he is not directly employed by the team, instead he is paid through his own company.
Dutch F1 reporter Rick Winkelman has reported more details on Ziggo Racecafé.
“It probably has to do with Adrian Newey,” Winkelman said.
“Newey is one of the three staff members [who are top earners] and the discussion is whether Newey is employed by Red Bull or hired through his own company.
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“Red Bull says ‘he is employed by us’, so he is not in the ‘budget cap’ because he is in one of the three top earners.
“The FIA says ‘no he’s hired through his own company’, so external, and then again he should be under the ‘budget cap’.”
It’s important to note that the drivers and the top three earners in a team are exempt from the budget cap.
The original report by Auto Motor und Sport differs from this one, because it said that Red Bull did not want to declare Newey, as he was not directly employed by the team. Keep in mind that these are all unsubstantiated rumours for now.
