While the new technical regulations for 2022 continue to attract attention, the cost cap introduced this season is just as crucial for the sport. The cost cap is an important measure to create a level playing field for all teams, which is critical to the sustainability of the sport. One team that could be affected by the cost cap is defending champion Mercedes.
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Former Williams F1 driver Damon Hill recently appeared on the F1 Nation podcast. Ahead of the upcoming French Grand Prix, the Briton pointed out how the cost cap could cause the Silver Arrows to reshuffle their staff.
Damon Hill believes the Mercedes cost cap will bring “a lot of moving stuff” with it
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The FIA announced the new F1 cost cap for all teams in October 2020. It sets the upper limit for each team’s budget for an F1 season.
Although the cost cap was set at $ 175 million for the first time this season, the FIA cut it down to $ 145 million due to the impact of COVID-19 on various teams. While Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari have much larger budgets, the cost cap helps smaller teams compete with such teams.
Damon Hill, Jordanian Formula 1 driver (Photo by Matthew Ashton / EMPICS via Getty Images)
On the F1 Nation podcast, Hill pointed out, using Mercedes as an example, that the cost cap will create a mess for team staff. He said: “The Mercedes team in total approaches 2000 people if you include the engine department. But the cost cap means they have to put people on other books I think.
“So it can be, for example, that people switch to applied technologies. And then maybe they outsource things to their applied technologies. I am sure that a lot will be done in your accounting under the headings in the columns in the next few years. “
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Hill: Williams has grown massively since I left
The Briton, who won the 1996 World Championship with Williams, believes the team has grown since he left in 1999. In answering a question related to adjusting his former team to the cost cap, Hill pointed out the importance of streamlining.
“You have to streamline. They grew massively after I left Formula One, ”said Hill.
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“When I was with Williams we had 150 people and that was one of the bigger teams. And when they got BMW, the size of the F1 teams grew massively, and it rose to around 600. And then they moved to the factory too. It was a huge addition to the team, ”he added.
With the next season’s cost cap set at $ 140 million for the next season, Mercedes faces a major challenge in 2022. In addition to setting up their driver roster, they need to make sure they stay competitive even within the $ 140 million cost cap.
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The post Former F1 champion predicts huge impact of cost cap on Mercedes first appeared on monter-une-startup.
