50,000 euro fine: Porsche admits "procedural breach" of the manufacturer cost cap

The FIA has completed its review of the cost cap for Formula E manufacturers for the first two Gen3 seasons. None of the manufacturers exceeded the cost cap of 25 million euros. However, Porsche was found to have committed "procedural breaches" in its documentation, for which a fine was imposed.

With the introduction of the Gen3 car for Season 9, the FIA has also introduced a new cost cap that teams and manufacturers must adhere to. Teams must submit a list of their expenses every year, while manufacturers must do so for two years. The background: a new powertrain is homologated for two seasons; after season 9, the manufacturers were only allowed to construct a new powertrain again for the Gen3 Evo in season 11.

After the teams' cost cap was reviewed for the first time in 2024 and violations by Jaguar and Nissan were found, the finances of the six manufacturers in Formula E (ERT/Nio 333, Jaguar, Mahindra, Nissan, Porsche and Stellantis) were scrutinised for the first time in 2025. The committee, known as the Cost Cap Administration, found that Porsche's documents had not been submitted correctly. Unlike the two teams in 2024, however, the cost cap was not exceeded.

Expenditure was incorrectly reported in 11 areas

The issues include incorrectly allocated expenses for components, research and development costs for the Formula E drive, costs for unused components, outsourced services and software development costs. The FIA lists a total of eleven different points where expenses were not submitted correctly.

"Porsche was found to be in procedural breach however, the Cost Cap Administration recognised that they have not exceeded the Cost Cap for the two-year period, that they have acted cooperatively throughout the review process, that this is the first complete review of the two-year period under the Financial Regulations for Formula E Manufacturers and that there is no accusation or evidence of aggravating factors," said an official statement from the world governing body.

"In these circumstances, the Cost Cap Administration offered to Porsche an Accepted Breach Agreement to resolve this matter. That offer was accepted by the Manufacturer," concludes the FIA statement.

The consequence: Porsche must pay a fine of 50,000 euros. A further fine of 100,000 euros was also imposed, but this was suspended for the next four reporting periods (i.e. eight years).

Porsche: "We are more susceptible to procedural errors"

At the request of e-Formula.news, a Porsche spokesperson stated that the manufacturer admits to procedural errors in reporting. "The matter solely concerns Porsche as a manufacturer, not the factory-owned Porsche Formula E Team," Porsche emphasises explicitly.

"Porsche accepts the fine and would like to thank the FIA for the constructive cooperation in this matter. Without any intent, we made procedural mistakes. We would like to emphasize that Porsche did not exceed the permitted budget and therefore did not gain any advantage," said the manufacturer's statement.

"The findings relate to Porsche's first reporting period as a manufacturer in Formula E," the statement continued. "Since then, we have learned not only in technical and sporting aspects but also in the reporting process. As a Porsche Motorsport factory programme located in the Porsche R&D facilities in Weissach, we are part of a larger corporation with complex financial structures. This complexity makes us more susceptible to procedural errors. Already after Season 9, we implemented adjustments for the following reporting period."

The next evaluation of the Formula E manufacturers' cost cap is expected to be published in autumn 2027, then for the two Gen3 Evo seasons. However, the manufacturers will already have experience with the relevant documents here - with the exception of Lola, which entered Formula E as a manufacturer in 2024.