With the budget cap, Formula 1 wanted to ensure more equal opportunities. But that was only partially successful. The big teams still have a huge lead over their pursuers. Williams team boss James Vowles criticizes this development – and paints a bleak picture for the future.
With the start of the 2021 season, new budget rules took effect in Formula 1. These ensure that teams like Red Bull, Mercedes or Ferrari cannot spend more money on operations than Williams, Haas and Toro Rosso. In the 2023 season, with a few exceptions, that budget is $138.6 million.
This upper limit is welcomed by Williams team boss James Vowles, among others. “I support this part completely. That’s why this business has now become sustainable,” he told the “RaceFans” portal. In addition to this “really good decision” to introduce an upper limit for operations, according to Vowles there is still an overarching problem: the capital expenditures, which were also limited as a result.
“300 million worth of material that we don’t have”
“When I still had my Mercedes hat on, I knew exactly what the impact would be. That’s why we were so excited to sign it and they [die Kapital-Ausgabe] limit,” explained Vowles, who switched from the Silver Arrows to Williams just before this season.
“At Mercedes we had material worth 300 million that Williams doesn’t have,” he calculated. Vowles complained that there was nothing to be done about this deficit: “No one can make up for it. And even if we could, you can imagine how long it would take to raise 300 million and spend it.”
Because the big teams in particular benefit from this “capital cap”, “they signed the upper budget limit very quickly. And for us small teams, that means that we are fighting with one arm behind our back in comparison,” he complained Williams boss.
“I come from a team where I could have everything because it was already there. I don’t have it here. Let me catch up, let it be a real competition,” he said, almost begging for the premier class makers.
McLaren and Alpine also want to invest in infrastructure
Vowles is far from the only person responsible who puts his finger in the wound at this point. Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer and McLaren boss Andrea Stella are also among those who would like to invest more money but cannot.
“We would like to see some of these limits lifted as we would like to continue investing in our infrastructure,” said Stella, referring to the team’s recent investments in a wind tunnel and simulator. Szafnauer, meanwhile, said it would be “only fair” if the smaller teams could get a chance to improve their fundamental infrastructure “to equalize the level”.