The top Formula 1 teams had a major headache this year as they tried to cut their spending to fall below the introduced cost cap of $ 145 million.
Both Mercedes and Red Bull spoke about the pain they had to go through over the winter to lay off employees they could no longer afford.
But as the season progressed, there have been other concerns about the complications outfits face when it comes to paying for unexpected damage.
Valtteri Bottas’ accident at Imola caused Mercedes to fear it would have to cut development updates, while Red Bull was unhappy about a $ 1.8 million repair bill expected from Max Verstappen’s accident at the British Grand Prix.
Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto suggested after the Hungarian GP, when Charles Leclerc was knocked out by Lance Stroll at the first corner, that the rivals whose drivers caused the accident should pay for the damage caused.
But while not all teams agree that such a scenario is realistic, Binotto believes there are legitimate reasons, at least for teams and F1 bosses, to meet and talk about it.
He says a review of the bills from the first half of 2021 shows Ferrari had to pay 2.5 million euros for damage – which shows the amount of leeway to budget for unexpected events these days.
“These are total damages, and sometimes we can harm ourselves so this is not” [just] other teams that harm ourselves, ”said Binotto.
“Of course there has been a lot of discussion that if there is an accident and there is a guilty driver and you have no fault, and if you have suffered damage, should that be exempt from the budget cap?
“I think that is certainly an important point because I mentioned 2.5 million euros to show that the damage can be significant overall. So should we consider a different type of regulation in these cases?
“I think it’s certainly a credit for that. I think there are certainly no obvious solutions, but it is something that we will no doubt be discussing with the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams in the coming weeks to possibly address it to see if there is a solution for the future gives. “
In addition to the cost of damage, there is also a new debate about whether teams should be exempted from take-off penalties if they suffer engine damage and are forced to take a new engine through the actions of other drivers.
Leclerc lost his second engine of the year after being run over by the runaway Stroll on the first corner of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Binotto is of the opinion that there is also reason to discuss a possible change here, even if it would be very complicated to clarify.
“There is no obvious solution,” he said. “If we damage an engine, as in our case, as in Hungary, it was an engine that was still used, but was not new.
“By replacing it, you are adapting something new so that you don’t do it with something that has the same mileage and lifespan. So it’s complicated.
“There is talk of a further reduction in 2025, of a change from three to two engines” [per season] So it’s clear that the fewer engines there are, the more important the issue becomes.
“We will be discussing with all the other teams and with the FIA because this is certainly a topical issue that is coming to light from multiple sources and therefore deserves to be investigated. But I don’t think there is an easy solution. ”
