Red Bull boss Christian Horner admits Formula 1 teams are relying “very heavily” on the FIA to ensure the new 2021 budget cap is enforced.
One of the cornerstones of F1’s plan to reduce costs and boost competitiveness, originally the limit was set at $175m but has since been cut to just $145m for next year due to the impact from the coronavirus, and will reduce by a further $5m in 2022 and 2023.
This will result in several teams having to reduce the size of their operation, with McLaren already attributing some job cuts to the restructuring, and Horner was keen to note the much larger sacrifice made by Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.
“I think that there’s been a lot of work, a lot of ground given particularly by the big three teams, and we’ve supported the process,” he told Motorsport.com.
“We’ve taken a pragmatic view for the benefit of the sport.
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“That has been painful in some areas. But I think overall F1 will be stronger for this set of regulations, even though there’s still some details that need to be finalised.”
Indeed, whenever the idea of a budget cap has been suggested, however, the subject of policing it has always been considered as one of the biggest hurdles, often because of the complex business structures of some teams.
And as this is the first attempt by F1 to introduce such a measure, the Red Bull boss does expect some kinks will have to be ironed out.
“It’s detailed stuff like exchange rate fluctuations,” he said.
“They are a complicated set of regulations, and inevitably there’s going to be some things that have not been thought about in these early, early set of regs that are going to need clarifications.
“We have to rely on the governing body. There are a set of rules that you sign up to, and that’s what we’ll be adhering to.
“But inevitably it is complicated and there are different structures, there are teams within organisations and automotive manufacturers. We’re going to need to rely very heavily on the FIA to ensure that it is fairly policed.”
And Horner is also wary of the potential for financial disputes to overshadow the sporting aspect of F1.
“Unfortunately I think that’s almost inevitable,” he added. “And so, I just hope we don’t end up in accounting world championships, rather than the ones that are settled on the circuit.”