Honda and Alpine breach F1 engine cost-cap rules

Engine manufacturer Honda supplies world champions Red Bull

Honda and Alpine have been found guilty of breaching Formula 1's cost-cap rules for engine manufacturers in 2023.

Governing body the FIA has fined Honda, which supplies world champions Red Bull, £462,000 ($600,000) and Alpine £308,000 ($400,000) for procedural breaches of the rules.

Both manufacturers' costs were under the £73.1m ($95m) spending limit in the regulations, the FIA said.

The FIA added neither company had "sought or obtained any undue advantage as a result of the breach".

Signing up to the power-unit financial regulations is a condition of taking part in F1 from 2026 as an engine supplier, but the offences in question relate to the first year of operation of the cap, 2023.

However, the costs attributable to current engines are excluded from the cap.

Honda, which will supply Aston Martin from 2026, failed to file accurate reporting documentation, which included incorrect excluded and/or adjusted costs related to the maintenance of engine dynamometers, and inventories.

Alpine "delayed the exercise by the cost-cap administration of its regulatory function and submitted inaccurate reporting documents that omitted relevant information".

The French company, owned by Renault, admitted its initial assessment report "contained significant deficiencies", the FIA said, and that "several required procedures had not been performed at all, and several other procedures had only been partially completed".

Both companies entered into so-called accepted breach agreements with the FIA over their penalties.

The FIA said both Honda and Alpine had "acted cooperatively and in good faith throughout the review process, and have sought to provide additional information and evidence when requested in a timely manner".