FLOYD ON F1: Budget cap widens gap between haves and have-nots

In the quest to “improve” Formula 1, owners Liberty Media and F1 management are apparently seeking more venues.

Rather a strange move when you consider the sport’s quest to become carbon neutral. Adding further races globally must create increased levels of emissions – surely a retrogressive step.

These efforts from F1 to increase growth and “greening” of the sport are resulting in a number of cracks appearing in the structure.

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Rubbery conundrum

To reduce emissions, a new format for qualifying has been mooted and means teams will be obliged to use hard compound tyres for qualifying one (Q1), medium for Q2 and soft for Q3.

Why? The FIA, FOM and Pirelli believe this will reduce the number of tyres transported to every race and a subsequent reduction in emissions.

Whether this will meet the requirements of the teams is another story. After all, they are just the people who invest millions in designing and building the cars.

So, not permitted the perfect tyre choice, plus a proposal to totally ban tyre warmers in 2024 and you have a precarious situation for those behind the wheel.

F1 budget cap

There is to be a meeting between all concerned in F1 to discuss the current budget cap situation, with many teams believing it is not achieving its original aims and in fact is widening the gap between frontrunners and the rest of the field.

Discussions will be held about the limitations of teams to invest in new infrastructure such as factories and wind tunnels – currently such expenditure falls within the decreasing budget cap.

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New Williams chief James Vowels is firmly behind a review of this ruling, believing such restrictions effectively mean the mid-field and tail-end teams will never be able to catch up. The advanced facilities of teams such as Red Bull and Mercedes were built and paid for before the advent of budget caps.

A relevant point: development costs money and financial restrictions do not make allowance for improving infrastructure.

Let us not forget that team personnel are not happy with the current 23 events per annum, since their outside interests, particularly family life, are being sorely tested.

Talk of more than one team to deal with this issue runs into budget cap issues.

Under pressure

F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali is reportedly in discussion with the city of Madrid, which wishes to host a Grand Prix, but Spain is already contracted to Barcelona.

Perhaps the Iberian Peninsula will join the US and Italy in hosting two races per annum? That’s more pressure on team personnel.

It sounds like a spiral of ever decreasing circles.

The next F1 race is on Sunday, 2 April, in Australia.