FIA introduces ?30m budget cap
By Jonathan Noble Tuesday, March 17th 2009, 13:30 GMT
The FIA has introduced a budget cap in Formula 1 for the 2010 season, as autosport.com predicted last month, following a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council on Tuesday.
The voluntary cap will be set at ?30 million per team per season, and those outfits signing up to the option will be allowed total technical freedom.
The FIA hopes that the move will make it easier for news teams to enter F1 and allow those teams without manufacturer support to be guaranteed a long future in the sport.
As a way of enticing teams to take up the option of the budget cap, the FIA has stated that it will tweak the regulations to ensure those with restricted finances will be just as competitive as those spending unlimited amounts of money.
A statement issued by the FIA said: "The technical freedoms accorded to the low-budget teams will be adjusted from time to time to keep their median performance on a par with the median performance of the unlimited-expenditure teams. The regulations for the unlimited-expenditure teams will remain stable and fixed."
FIA president Max Mosley confirmed that the ?30 million budget cap would include drivers' salaries.
When asked what was included, Mosley said: "Everything except the motor home (if the team has one) and any fine(s) imposed by the FIA. All expenditure will be included, even the salaries of the drivers and team principal.
"If the team is profitable, it can pay a dividend to its shareholders, who may well include a chief engineer, team principal or even a driver. But we would make sure the team was genuinely making enough profit to cover the dividend."
Mosley also outlined details of what technical freedoms teams that signed up for the budget cap would be allowed.
"A different (but standard) under body, movable wings, no engine rev limit, no restriction on the number or type of updates, no homologation requirements, no limits on materials, testing, simulators, wind tunnels and so forth - most of the cost saving measures introduced over the last few years will not apply to these teams," he explained.
"However measures to save money during the race weekend, such as the ban on refuelling and the Saturday parc ferme, will apply to both categories of team. We are also thinking about a much bigger capacity KERS for the cost-capped teams. But all this must be covered by the ?30 million - no exceptions and no free or subsidised outside help.
"Anything supplied by another team or an outside supplier will be included at its full commercial cost except for items supplied to all teams at subsidised rates under the single supplier arrangements negotiated by the FIA (e.g. for tyres), which allow all teams to benefit equally from reduced costs."
He added: "The engine will comply with current rules, except that there will be no rev limit and no development freeze. However, the entire engine expenditure will come out of the cap. If the engine is supplied by an outside commercial entity or another team, we will have to be satisfied that there is no hidden subsidy.
"If a team has its own engine, we will check its full cost just as we will the rest of the car. The current rule limiting manufacturers to supplying engines to one additional team each will remain in place."
You can't wrap up the championship before it's half-way done. It's mathematically impossible.
