“Some teams still look to win World Championships with chequebooks”– McLaren boss frustrated with top teams trying to lobby against budget cap regulation

McLaren CEO Zak Brown claims that top teams are trying to kill the purpose of cost caps with increasing demands to protect their advantage.

The top three teams of Formula 1- Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari have a considerable financial advantage against the rest of the grid. McLaren doesn’t have much muscle to level the trio, even the next best team.

Realizing their financial deficit, McLaren boss Zak Brown is furious with their rivals trying to alter the cost caps. The rule will be effective from 2022.

He thinks these sides are trying to lobby against the rule with undue advantage. The latest is the demand for enhancement of costs to afford the damages obtained in the sprint races.

“With the spending limit reducing to $140m this year and $135m next. The new financial regulations present us – and the sport as a whole – with a fairer framework to compete by reducing the inevitable advantage of the biggest-spending and best-resourced teams,” Brown wrote in a column for the McLaren website.

“However, we must continue to drive economic sustainability across the sport. Some teams still look for excuses to raise the cost cap and win World Championships with the chequebook.”

“The ongoing lobbying by certain teams to increase the cost cap for Sprint race damage is a continuing example. The Saturday Sprint race initiative by Formula 1 has added new viewers and raised the profile of the sport to expand its global fanbase.”

“However, these teams continue to demand a raise to the cost cap by an inordinate amount of money. Despite the clear evidence that little damage was incurred during these races last year, in a thinly veiled attempt to protect from their competitive advantage being eroded.”

McLaren thinks these teams are keeping F1 hostage

Brown further extends his accusations against the top three sides. He claims they are keeping the sport hostage with their demands. He insists that these teams need to stop boosting themselves to the front with the power of money.

According to Christian Horner the Verstappen crash has cost Red Bull approximately $1.8million. „An accident like that has massive ramifications in a budget cap era.“ #F1 #AMuS

— Tobi Grüner 🏁 (@tgruener) July 23, 2021

“The current governance structure of the sport enables a situation where some teams, to protect their own competitive advantage, are effectively holding the sport hostage from what’s best for the fans and therefore the sport at large.”

“These teams seem unable to accept that a budget cap is in the best interests of the sport and cannot kick their habit of spending their way to the front.”

Also read: Daniel Ricciardo feels Ferrari Vs McLaren was a “cool F1 story”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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