McLaren has backed up Red Bull’s call for a budget cap rise, stating the current number is “impossible” to remain under.
Last year, a $145m limit on spending was introduced for the first time, but in 2022, that figure has dropped to $140m and another $5m is set to be cut for 2023 too.
At the same time, however, high inflation and spiralling costs are putting a massive squeeze on resources for those teams operating at the budget cap level.
As a result, Red Bull boss Christian Horner argues if the cap isn’t raised to accommodate those costs, the only option will be to end their season early.
“Seven of the teams would probably need to miss the last four races to come within the cap this year,” he warned via by the BBC.
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“It’s not just about the big teams. It’s teams in the middle of the field who are really struggling with inflationary issues.
“The FIA has a duty of care. I know they are taking it seriously,” he noted.
“Energy bills, cost of living, costs are going exponentially, and F1 is not exempt. Freight has quadrupled and that’s not something we can control.”
Some of the smaller teams have hit back, however, arguing the biggest spenders are merely trying to find ways to maintain their advantage.
“We’ve set our budgets early, we kind of anticipated a little bit of the inflation,” Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer explained.
“Inflation didn’t just creep up on us. If we can do it, for sure others can do it too. I’m not for just increasing the cap.
“When freight costs go up by $2.5m or $3.5m but your development budget is $20m, can you not make your development budget 17m and still be under the cap? You can,” he argues.
“What that then does is it limits your development. So it’s a lot easier, if you have the money, to go to the FIA and lobby to raise the cap and keep your development budget the same.”
However, McLaren boss Andreas Seidl sided with Horner’s comments, insisting there is a genuine need to address the budget cap figure.
“It is clear for us sticking to the cost cap is an absolute necessity for the sport,” the German was quoted by RaceFans.
“It’s not a secret that we were pushing quite a lot for introducing this budget cap and also pushing towards the numbers we are having now.
“At the same time, I think it’s important that if exceptional circumstances arise like the ones we have this year – if you just look at our utility bills and we look at the unbelievable increase of freight costs – that it must be possible to have a discussion between all the teams together with the FIA in order to find fair solutions.
“We are in the middle of the season now, everyone has prepared for the season in order to somehow run at the cap but with these exceptional circumstances and these rises it’s pretty much impossible to still stick to the cap,” he concluded.
