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Three Formula 1 teams are now arguing against a move to raise the budget cap by $7 million.
Team in favor of moving the cap from $140 million to $147 million claim that global inflation is reason enough to re-visit the cap.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says teams’ freight costs in particular are “doubling” in 2022 as a result of factors like COVID and the Ukraine-Russia war.
“We also see it in the cost of living. We see inflation throughout the world,” Horner said. “We need to find a sensitive allowance that takes into account these inflationary costs because the only compensatory place to offset that is parts and people.
“Formula 1 is acutely aware of that, the FIA are acutely aware. I think the teams by and large are looking to find a workable solution.”
Initially, it was mainly the biggest teams, including Red Bull and Mercedes, who were arguing the loudest about a budget cap increase, but now McLaren and Aston Martin have joined their ranks.
Only Alpine, Alfa Romeo and the Haas F1 Team are opposed to a budget cap increase now.
“Rules are rules,” Alfa Romeo team principal Frederic Vasseur said simply.
Haas’ Guenther Steiner is another who fails to see a need for F1 to make a knee-jerk reaction to inflation.
“If we are above 3 percent inflation in September, there will automatically be more (in the budget cap, per the agreement) in 2023 anyway,” Steiner said. “We don’t need to bring that forward.”
As for why former budget cap hard-liners McLaren and Aston Martin have now defected and joined those pushing for a higher cap, Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer told European media outlet Auto Motor und Sport, “They have massive problems with their cars. They need the extra money for that.”
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