The budgets of Formula 1 teams capped starting from 2013?
The idea of implementing a capped budget resurfaces, but this time, at the initiative of the teams. Only two would be against this idea, which could be discussed during the season to be included in the 2013 season regulations.
Max Mosley had attempted to limit the expenses of Formula 1 teams by implementing a budget cap when he was head of the FIA – Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile. This had led to a major dispute between the FIA and the teams, with the latter even threatening to create a parallel championship to F1.
This initiative by Mosley, however, allowed three teams to enter F1: HRT, Virgin which became Marussia, and Lotus Racing which became Caterham, with a capped budget – at around 50 million euros – even though in practice, this was never really implemented. Instead, a Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) was put in place.
However, according to the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport, water has flowed under the bridge since this dispute, and the proposal for a capped budget could resurface because now, if a majority of teams want a change, it can be discussed. It seems that 10 of the 12 teams in Formula 1 want a limited budget to be implemented.
This proposal could therefore be studied during the season and incorporated into the FIA regulations as early as next season, in 2013. However, two teams do not agree with what is proposed by their rivals, namely the two teams owned by Red Bull, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. Nevertheless, with the majority of teams in favor of this new budgetary rule, it is likely that these two teams will not have a say.
Red Bull is not opposed in principle to this cost reduction, but the debate actually lies in the manner of implementing this cost management, as Christian Horner, the director of the Red Bull Racing team, recently stated: «The cost of being competitive in F1 is too high at present. I don’t think anyone will disagree with that. The debate is about how to achieve (lowering the costs).»
According to the German publication, nine teams would be in favor of implementing a limited budget as Max Mosley wished – with the ceiling set higher, at 170 million euros per season, then progressively decreasing to reach 100 million euros after a few years. Another solution that has been considered several times is optimization through economies of scale in the construction of the KERS, for example, or the steering wheel.
Several team leaders had shown support for a regulation change in recent months, specifically in the case of Sauber or on the Lotus F1 side, where Gérard Lopez was in favor of limiting the budgets of Formula 1 teams.
