F1 News
Formula 1 ready to revise budget cap rules
- GPblog.com
Since 2021, Formula 1 has been using a budget cap, ensuring that the starting field should be closer together, but this has not succeeded so far. In fact, the current regulations would disadvantage smaller teams.
Budget cap problems
The budget cap was first introduced in 2021, and at the time, $145 million was the maximum that teams could spend. This figure did not include all the costs of F1 teams however, there are some exceptions. For example, drivers' salaries and the cost of building a new factory are not included in the budget cap. However, it does include the cost of improving facilities at an existing factory, causing a stir.
As a result, teams with good original factories have a huge advantage. Smaller teams often do not have enough money to build a new factory, and improving a factory falls under the budget cap, and therefore smaller teams fall further behind the bigger teams. According to Motorsport.com, there have already been talks to change these regulations. In particular, James Vowles is said to be a strong supporter of a rule change.
Alpine team boss agrees with Vowles
Along with Vowles, the Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer agrees with the Williams team boss that the current regulations can be detrimental to smaller teams, such as Williams. “If you were a small team and didn't have a great wind tunnel, for example, and you couldn’t build one, you're screwed forever," the Alpine team boss told Motorsport.com.