‘Questioning whether FIA control is sufficient’: Ferrari urges the governing body to keep a close eye on Red Bull’s spendings on updates

With the budget cap being introduced in the sport since 2021, all the teams have been on a strict leash and haven’t been able to spend as many funds as the previously could. Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull were always considered as the top spenders which easily reflected on their results. With the introduction of the budget cap, these teams especially have had to undergo massive cuts in the organisation in order to stay in the cap that has been set by the FIA. After yesterday’s race, the Redbull seems to have become a rocket-ship which has left Ferrari in shambles.

Back when there was no budget cap, teams had no limit on the amount that they could spend. This led to the top teams like Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes taking advantage and spending a substantial amount on their F1 operations. Previously having spent more than half a billion dollars, it was hard for the teams to reduce their budget to a number far less than that. With inflation and rising transport costs coming into play, it has become even harder for the teams to stay in their budget. With the other teams bit having a budget as substantial as the top 3 teams, it was obvious that there was an unfair advantage that they held which needed to be stopped for the betterment of the sport. This budget cap is meant to create an equal playing field for all the teams but in the end, it all depends on how well a team can spend their funds.

Since the start of the season, the Milton Keynes based squad has always struggled with weight issues as their car has always been multiple kilos heavier than the ideal weight. It has become known that Red Bull will be introducing a new monocoque this season to get rid of the excess weight that’s in the car. This excess weight also decreases car performance which is a huge disadvantage. The RB18 chassis is still 5 kilos too heavy and this update will possibly reduce than number heavily. Ferrari’s team principal, Mattia Binotto on hearing this news was a bit shocked and was left wondering as to where the team is finding the funds in the budget to finance these upgrades. Here is what he had to say about it.

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“You have to wonder if the control is sufficient,” Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto on FIA and their strictness regarding the budget cap

“We could never afford to develop a kilo lighter chassis – or any chassis – during the season because the budget does not allow it. I would be very surprised if that were possible for other teams. You have to wonder if the control is sufficient,” he said.

“Unfortunately only a few people at the FIA keep an eye on it. That has to improve in the future. It would be very bad if the championship is decided by the financial rules,” he continued.

With Red Bull introducing multiple updates throughout the season, it is perfectly valid for Ferrari’s to question their efforts. The amount of planning that goes into deciding the amount that is to be spent on a particular entity is immense. All that the Italian team principal wants it for the FIA to ensure that all the team’s expenses are properly monitored and then approved for the sake of giving everyone an equal chance to fight for the top spot.

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