Formula 1’s cost cap came into effect in 2021, with the maximum spending capped at just $135m for the upcoming F1 2023 season. This was an attempt to limit the amount a team can spend on its cars over the course of a given calendar year so that every team gets an equal chance in the competition. Despite having the cost cap in place now in Formula 1, teams like Williams have a daunting disadvantage against the likes of Mercedes to this day. So much so that according to James Vowles, the drastic edge at least stands at $300,000,000.
Admittedly, Vowles was in Mercedes when the Silver Arrows dominated the F1 grid for seven years. Starting from 2014, the Brackley brigade was immensely powerful with the huge monetary advantage they had against other teams.
The current Williams boss, who has now seen both sides of the spectrum with his recent stint with the British team, now understands the level of disparity still stands in Formula 1, despite the budget cap in place.
According to the former aide of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, top teams are way ahead in terms of equipment, technology, and machinery and it is believed it will not be easy to cover up those advantages anytime soon.
James Vowles believes Mercedes have an advantage despite the cost cap
With the humongous lead teams like Mercedes has, it will be impossible for the teams like Williams to catch up on them, given the fact that the advantage is locked on.
Speaking about it as per RaceFans, the former Mercedes man revealed, “At Mercedes, we had about $300 million worth of equipment that Williams does not have.”
Following this, he further asserted that even if teams can cover up the gap, it will be an uphill task to get all the money together and spend it all, developmentally.
Despite all this, Vowles is a supporter of cost cap but demands a fair fight. This is because “for small teams, what it meant is that we’re fighting really with one arm behind our back by comparison.”
Vowles receives support for his take
James Vowles has been an instrumental character at Brackley, where he had everything he needed at his disposal. However, now he’s back in Grove, he understands how things are not quite flowery on the other side of the tunnel.
However, he admitted the collective efforts F1 is making to shorten the gap. Notably, in his concern about the huge advantage top teams have, McLaren and Alpine higher-ups echoed the same with Vowles.
McLaren and Alpine team principals Andrea Stella and Otmar Szafnauer supported the Williams boss on this as they collectively stated that F1 should “level the playing field on infrastructure, and the tools that you fundamentally need to go Formula 1 racing.”
