F1 News
Newey calls on FIA for change: 'Deals with unexpected penalties'
- Kimberley Hoefnagel
While Adrian Newey agrees with the introduction of the cost cap, he does think something needs to change. The Aston Martin chief argues that teams are now going overboard with budget cuts, losing many staff to other racing classes and industries.
Speaking to Auto Motor und Sport, Newey explains that Formula 1 today has a bible of rules, which means much is already fixed. "I think it's a shame. The budget limit... There must be a way of controlling the cost, or certainly the benefits of spending more, to not make it simply an arms race where the team with the biggest budget wins." However, the Englishman believes that something does need to change, given that the budget cap also has "hidden penalties."
"This actually means that Formula 1 is no longer the highest-paid industry," he explains. "At Red Bull, we mainly lost people to other teams. Now we are losing people to technology companies because they pay them better." Newey explains that the teams are also losing many staff members to WEC teams because they also pay better. "We are losing recent graduates because Formula 1 is no longer the industry that pays the best. Let's just say it's involved in a lot of unexpected penalties."
Cost cap in 2026
The cost cap was introduced in 2021 in an attempt to bring the field closer together. After all, the top teams were able to invest much more than the smaller teams, making the differences between them huge. Although there are still snags in the budget cap, it does seem to have actually narrowed the differences between teams. The grid is much closer together in 2025, which makes for exciting battles on track.
When the budget cap was introduced in 2021, teams were allowed to spend around $145 million. This amount has been lowered to $135 million over the years. However, the FIA has announced that the cost cap will be raised again to $215 million in 2026. While this will give teams significantly more financial leeway, it remains to be seen whether it will actually make a difference.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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