The “borderline” team compromise that staved off an F1 crisis
Formula 1’s budget cap was heralded as a radical advance, the saviour of smaller teams, and the pathway to a brighter commercial future for all. So why were so many teams so keen to either break it or negotiate a raise? As MARK GALLAGHER reveals, it’s not just about the cost of crash repairs
Following the introduction of Formula 1’s budget cap, the one thing which seemed inevitable was that its limits would soon be tested. Coping with factors inside F1 was one thing: financial allowances were made for the addition of sprint races and the ever-expanding nature of the calendar.
Turn to factors outside F1’s control, and the shrinking nature of the global village and its impact on every facet of staging a world championship becomes evident. COVID-19 proved that. F1 ground to halt in spring 2020 and is still dealing with the pandemic’s effects on global travel, supply chains and logistics. As a result this year’s budget cap, a ceiling of $140m on each team’s race car design, manufacturing and operations, was already at odds with a world of variation, fluctuation and unpredictability.
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