Sebastian Vettel says Formula 1 is right to make decisions that will help smaller teams, even if it hurts Ferrari.
The financial impact of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has put pressure on the sport to find strong cost-cutting measures, with owners Liberty Media already sending advanced payments to some teams facing issues.
In recent weeks, the focus has turned to the budget cap which will be introduced next year.
An unofficial agreement has seen the initial $175m limit reduced to $150m with a further cut to $130m in 2022 suggested.
However, McLaren has been calling for the figure to be reduced to just $100m, something Ferrari and Red Bull has blocked citing the cuts they would need to make.
“With the new regulations, the idea is to bring the field closer together so if this special situation in a way would help the sport to come closer together in order to then have better racing and a better sport, then that would be a good side effect I would say,” Vettel told Motorsport
this week.
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“I think we will only be able to judge once we have some really concrete decisions in our hands and then see how they would work in practical life.
“But definitely, for some of the smaller teams, this situation is putting them [and] their existence in question, and it’s quite extreme. So, you know, as a family of Formula 1, I think we ought to look out for each other.”
In terms of cost-cutting though, it has already been agreed to defer next season’s new technical regulations by a year and limits on the development of the current cars are being discussed.
Again, Ferrari initially tried to block that idea before recanting, with rivals claiming the Scuderia’s opposition was over performance concerns with their 2020 car.
“I think postponing the rules to 2022, the new set of regulations, and then still discussing some of it for ’21, the what and how and so on, I think is the right approach,” Vettel commented. “Postponing some of it is definitely right.
“Whether it’s worse or better for Ferrari, the natural interest right now is what’s right for the sport, and I think that’s the right decision for the sport.
“I think that’s also the intention, the most important intention, by Ferrari and the team right now.”
