Newey warns of grey area in budget cap: ''That worries me''

Since 2021, Formula 1 teams have to follow a strict budget cap. This means that the teams are not allowed to spend more money over a whole year than is set by the organisation. We saw this effect earlier in the season when teams had to repair damage to cars, or Red Bull had to design a new rear wing due to a new test by the FIA.

New rear wing for Red Bull

''The rules say that everything about the car has to be rigid. We all know that's not possible. There are different bending tests for this, and the FIA reserves the right to change these tests if necessary. Alfa Romeo had asked the FIA earlier this year if anything would change in this respect and the answer was no. But it was changed anyway'', says Newey at Auto, Motor und Sport.

''The problem with this is not the effect on the lap time. That is minimal. What's worse is the effect on cost and the time it takes to adapt the wing. We got a run-up to the France GP, but actually, we had to respond to Azerbaijan within two weeks because we couldn't take the risk of protest. That didn't feel quite right.''

Grey area of the budget cap

So Red Bull had to design a new rear wing at short notice, and in doing so lost precious budget that could be used for other developments. The question however is whether this budget cap can always be controlled as thoroughly as it should by the FIA. Newey himself has his reservations about this.

''If the budget cap can be monitored safely and equally for everyone, I have no problem with it. But I still see some grey areas and that worries me. As an engineer, I like to be creative with the resources available to me. If there are fewer, no problem. But, as I said, I can live with the budget ceiling, as long as it's the same for everyone,'' the top designer concludes.