F1 cost cap: What is the F1 cost cap? How much money can F1 teams spend?

The F1 cost cap has come back into focus in 2025
Race winner Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB19 celebrates in parc ferme. Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 12,
Race winner Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing RB19 celebrates in parc ferme. Formula 1…

Formula 1 teams must operate under a cost cap. Here, we explain everything about the cost cap - including the money involved, the F1 teams w💛ho broke the rules, and the punishments they were hit with.

What is the F1 cost cap and why was it introduced?

F1 introduced the first-ever set of financial regulations for 2021 in a bid to encoura🦂ge a more competitive championship. 

The hope was that by enforcing a limit on spending, F1 would help level the playing f꧒ield more by enabling smaller teams with less resources to compete in an even environment against teams boasting huge budgets. 

Some teams were previously known to be spending upwards of $400m pe🍸r season.&nb꧂sp;

The other main goal behind the implementation of the bu🎉dget cap was to ensure a financially-sustainable sport. 

The cap works by limiting the amount o♊f money an F1 team can spend over the course of a calendar year to avoid spiralling costs. 

Any team found guilty of 🔥overspending will face a penalty.

How much is the cost cap? 

Originally, the 2021 budget cap was to be set at $175m, but that was cut down to $145m to help teams struggling as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which placed greater emphasis on the ne🌃e꧟d for F1 to slash costs. 

The cap was reduced to $140m for 2022, with plans to further cut the limit down to $135m for the 2023 season until 2025.

These figures are based on a 21-race season and will be adjusted𒁏 accordingly, with an extra $1.2m allowance for each race over that threshold.

The FI🧜A agreed to a 3.1 percent raise for the 2022 cost cap due to the impact soaring inflation was having on the teams’ budgets. 

The cap for 2026 is set to be raised to $215m to accommodate Audi's higher s♑alaries in Switzerland.

The new $215m figure will now include several items in the new cap 🥃that were previou𓂃sly exempted.

What is included under the cost cap? 

Expenditure tha🍨t falls under the cost cap 🥃includes: 

  • All parts on the car (from the steering wheel to the wheel nuts)
  • All the elements needed to run the car
  • Most of the team personnel
  • Garage equipment
  • Spares
  • Transport costs
  • Everything in between

What isn’t included under the cost cap?

Expenditure that does not fall under the cost cap i🔴ncl⛎udes:

  • The wages of the three highest-paid staff members
  • Travel costs
  • Marketing spend
  • Property and legal costs
  • Entry and licence fees
  • Any non-F1 or road car activities
  • Parental and sick leave payments
  • Employee bonuses and staff medical benefits

How did Red Bull break the rules? How were they punished?

The FIA found Red Bull guilty of a "minor" overspend of the 2021 $145m budget, while Verstappen was wrapping up the 2022 title, in a huge end-of-season scandal. Team princ🌳ipal Christian Horner claimed the overspend did not affect their performance.

Red Bull were hit with a $7m fine and a 10 percent reduction in aero testing📖 for 2023 as punishment.

Thirteen areas were "incorrectly interpretated" by Red Bu💛ll, inclu♐ding staff catering.

Red Bull are dominating in 2023 despite their punishment, leading Lewis Hamilton to criticise: “I mean, there wasn't really 🅘a big punishment last time, so there's no real [deterrent].

“Th🐷ere will be people that will probably go for it again and know they're just going to get a slap 💎on the wrist.”

Why were Honda and Alpine fined for engine cap breach?

Honda and Alpine/Renault were hit with fines for proceduไral breaches of the FIA’s💙 engine cost cap rules.

Honda had to p🔯ay $600,000, while Alpine’s fine was $400,000.

The J💃apanese manufacturer failed to report ac🧸curate reporting documentation.

Alpine’s fine waꦅs slightly smaller because it was late in sending the FIA documents🍨.

"The CCA [Cost Cap 🥀Administration] confirms that although Alpine Racing SAS and HRC have both been found to be in procedural breach, neither have exceeded the Cost Cap level," read an FIA statement.

"Both Alpine Racing SAS and HRC have acted at all times in good faith and are current🐭ly co-operating with the CCA to finalise the matter. Considering the nature of the breach, the complexities of the new Financial Regulations for PU Manufactu🔜rers and the challenges associated with their first year of implementation it is the CCA's intention to propose to these two PU Manufacturers to settle their respective breaches by means of an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA)."

The engine cost cap is $95m (2022-2025) and will rise to $130m from 2026.

How can the teams save money? 

Teams have already been forced to cut back on staffing levels i🎶n o𒊎rder to make savings. 

Christian Horner revealed Red Bull have had to 👍make over 90 people redundant, while Mercedes haveꦛ laid off 40 members of staff. 

💧Teams also have to factor in potential accꦗident damage. 

One of the most effective cost-saving measures is to cut back on development and reduce manufacturing time🐽, something that will hit the big teams the hardest. 

168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Lewis Hamilton claimed that he would have won the 2021 world title if Mercedes had168澳洲5最新开奖结果: spent an extra $300,000 on upgrades such as “a new floor or an adapted wing”.

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