2021: "Five teams will be running at the cost cap"

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown is convinced five of the ten Formula 1 teams will be running at the cost cap once it takes force in 2021, with each team not allowed to spend more than $175 million on performance from next year onwards.

The cost cap is one of the big regulation changes in store for the 2021 season, with Liberty Media using it as a device to bring the grid closer together. While not all aspects of an F1 team fall under the cost cap like driver salaries and marketing, top teams will still have to make severe changes to their infrastructure to cut down on their expenditure.

While still operating on a much smaller budget than the top three teams, McLaren are the highest spending team in midfield and will also have to cut corners to meet the cost cap in 2021.

While Brown would've liked to see the cap be at an even lower number, he still thinks it will eventually fulfill its purpose of bringing the grid closer together.

"I think it's a great first step," the American was quoted by Autosport. 

With the big teams smartly spending a lot of resources in advance now, with multiple teams completing the construction of a new wind tunnel, for example, it will take time before the cost cap can act as a true equaliser - as Brown acknowledges.