Ferrari have questioned the ability of Formula 1\u2019s governing body to police the sport\u2019s budget cap effectively.
\n Islamabad
\nTeam principal Mattia Binotto said the cap was \u201ca very green regulation\u201d, adding: \u201cThe number of people in the FIA monitoring it is very little.\u201d
\nHe said: \u201cIt has to improve for the future because it would be really bad if somehow a championship was dictated by a financial regulation and not technical or sporting.\u201d His comments come in the wake of claims Red Bull will introduce a lighter car in forthcoming races..
\nRed Bull have said a number of times this season that they have been working on reducing the weight of their car this year and 4kg would amount to a lap-time gain in the region of 0.14 seconds.
\nAsked whether this was Red Bull\u2019s plan, team principal Christian Horner said: \u201cNo, there is no [lighter chassis]. These chassis will run for the next few races.\u201d
\nAnd asked whether the team would stay within the budget cap this year, a spokesperson said: \u201cYes, we have had less upgrades than Ferrari and Mercedes.\u201d
\nAsked about the governing body\u2019s monitoring budget cap procedures, an FIA spokesperson said: \u201cThe FIA is committed to robust monitoring processes and will continue to strengthen, develop and refine all areas of its activities in this new era of Formula 1.\u201d
\nRed Bull are widely expected to introduce a new, lighter chassis before the end of the season Binotto said: \u201cI cannot know what they are doing, if they have a [lighter] chassis or not, but the budget cap is always a concern.
\n\u201cThe financial regulations can make differences between teams in the way they are interpreting and somehow executing it. \u201cAnd we know we need a very strong FIA to make sure they are properly focusing, otherwise the regulations will not be fair and equitable.
\n\u201cFerrari would never be capable of introducing a lightweight chassis or a different chassis through a season simply [because of the] budget cap and I would be very surprised if a team is capable of doing it. \u201cAnd if they are, it is back to the regulation itself – is it fair enough, is it equitable enough, is the policing sufficient?\u201d
\nMercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: \u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be able to introduce a chassis at that stage of the season. We are massively overweight, which we haven\u2019t been able to sort out because we are trying parts on the car in order to solve our various issues, so can\u2019t afford that, full stop.
\n\u201cSo what was aimed for by introducing the cost cap absolutely hit the target. It is what they wanted to achieve. The big teams can\u2019t just throw money at it.\u201d
\nThe budget cap was introduced in 2021 and was set at $140m (\u00a3119m) this season, but teams have been permitted a 3.5% overspend because of the rise in inflation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ferrari have questioned the ability of Formula 1\u2019s governing body to police the sport\u2019s budget cap effectively. Islamabad Team principal Mattia Binotto said the cap was \u201ca very green regulation\u201d, adding: \u201cThe number of people in the FIA monitoring it is very little.\u201d He said: \u201cIt has to improve for the future because it would […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":280512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-280492","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n