FIA admits the budget cap has made it nearly ‘impossible’ for teams to quickly close the gap to rivals

The introduction of the budget cap has changed the whole landscape of F1.

FIA admits the budget cap has made it nearly ‘impossible’ for teams to quickly close the gap to rivals

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The budget cap was introduced at the pinnacle of motor racing ahead of the 2021 F1 season. Since then, it has become a huge part of the sport, and amidst Red Bull’s ongoing dominance, the FIA single-seater director, Nikolas Tombazis has admitted that it has become almost impossible for F1 teams to make significant steps quickly.

The budget cap was introduced in 2021 with the intention of not allowing the top teams to spend as per their liking. While the gap between the teams has come down in financial terms, Nikolas Tombazis believes now it takes longer for teams to close the gap to the front-running outfits.

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While shedding light on the same in detail, Tombazis said, as reported by Soymotor;

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The key to the financial regulation is that no team will be able to spend three times more than the other...With financial regulations, this is impossible. If they are delayed, the recovery period is long and painful.

Looking at the reaction of the single-seater director, it is quite clear the FIA’s move to introduce the budget cap was a well-thought-out move and the effect that it is having was what the governing body of F1 strived for. Since the introduction of the budget cap, the whole landscape of the sport has changed.

FIA has several changes in the pipeline for F1

While the FIA has admitted that the budget cap has made it difficult for teams to quickly close the gap to rivals, they have several things in the pipeline that they plan on introducing at the pinnacle of motor racing shortly. The all-important 2026 regulations are just two years away.

Alpine (Credits: F1-Fansite)
(Credits: F1-Fansite)

The current set of regulations that were introduced in 2022, has made the Red Bull F1 team the top-performing outfit in the sport. Moreover, their 2023 campaign proved to be too mighty for the rival teams as Max Verstappen and Co. cruised at the front end of the grid.

Keeping in view everything that has been discussed above, it is safe to say that with FIA at the helm, it is almost a guarantee that F1 is going to go through several changes in the upcoming years. While 2026 is two years away, the governing body could introduce some small changes in 2024 and 2025.

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