When publicly questioned about the innuendo in his 'cost cap' letter sent to FIA, Zak Brown started to backpaddle a bit, pointing out that his comments were rather hypothetical about the situation of a 'cost cap' breach + admitted that he doesn't know the facts about Red Bull + was not targeting a team.
A bit like a loud social media keyboard warrior posting bold stuff from behind his screen, but subsequently downplaying his wild statements before cameras when confronted with what he posted.
Horner specified that the Red Bull 'cost cap' conflict with FIA comes down to different interpretations of the 52-page FIA Financial Regulations. Accountants disagree on how to apply some of those new 'cost cap' rules and are in the course of explaining their points of view to FIA.
Read what Brown and Horner said, taking digs at each other:
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/a...oSJs7rKsK.html
If grey zones exist, FIA should either finetune the rules or issue a clarification to avoid future misunderstandings. That's how things usually go when new rules take force that can reasonably be interpreted in different ways. Unfair to impose penalties if the interpretation was legitimate (let's disregard the situations of abusive interpretation), even if the rule maker intended it differently.
Reminds of tax lawyers going into battle with tax authorities: discussing on how to interpret/apply a new tax rule. If the discussion stalls, call in neutral competent third parties to decide over the conflict (court of law, arbitrators, etc.). If you and your lawyers are convinced - contrary to tax authorities - that you can legitimately interpret/apply a new tax rule the way you did, then why would you allow tax authorities to blame you: claim that you violated the new tax rule and impose a penalty ? If your reputation and money are at stake, and you truly consider that the tax authorities got it wrong, you firmly stand your ground and let your lawyers take their responsibility to fight for what they advised you. And if social media without access to the file starts to condemn you (trial by media), you remind all to the fundamental principle that you are fully allowed to stand up for your rights and that they don't have the competence to judge you.
Now, if the interpretation adopted by Red Bull would be considered by competent third parties to be illegitimate, penalties provided for by the FIA regulations should apply. If the interpretation is considered to be legitimate, FIA should back off. Maybe a settlement is agreed to save faces on both sides, trade off risks and to get rid of the time and money consuming conflict.
No-one on this forum knows the details. So hold your horses till decisions from competent authorities become final.
The times that F1 teams swallowed whatever FIA decided, are over.