“I can see five teams competing for the championship…” Zak Brown on when he feels the cost cap will truly take effect

“I can see five teams competing for the championship…” Zak Brown on when he feels the cost cap will truly take effect

Zak Brown at a press conference during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (IMAGO / PanoramiC)

In recent years, Formula 1 has been taking steps to ensure more competition across the whole field. The teams at the top have much, much better resources than the teams at the bottom, which is one of the reasons for the large field spread. So to remedy that, the sport now has a budget cap. Then there are the aerodynamic restrictions. Teams with better facilities can possibly even run the wind tunnel 24×7, but smaller teams can’t afford that. So they’ve introduced aerodynamic testing restrictions on a sliding scale. The constructors’ champions get the least wind tunnel time, and the team at the bottom get the most.

However, at least in 2022, it is fair to say that this did not work as intended. Why? Partly because this was the year of new regulations – some teams are going to get it right, and some will get it wrong. In the view of the FIA (Ross Brawn and Nikolas Tombazis, or even Christian Horner), this wasn’t exactly unexpected. But as time goes on, the budget cap, combined with the regulations made for ‘better racing’ and the aerodynamic restrictions, should in theory create a more competitive field.

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McLaren CEO Zak Brown agrees with this view. In an interview with McLaren, he said: “Anytime you have a new regulation that came out like it did, someone gets it right and someone gets it wrong. Then what ends up happening is everyone sees who got it right, and they gravitate towards what they’ve seen and what works from an aerodynamic point of view.”

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Giving the example of 2012 (he was not sure what year exactly), which he termed as the ‘end of a regulation cycle’, Brown thinks the field will get more competitive as the years go on: “So I think as these regulations stabilise, people will catch up. I think in a couple of years time it’s going to be an awesome competition.”

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Zak Brown aware the cost cap won’t make an ‘overnight’ change

Zak Brown
Zak Brown

Clearly, Zak Brown is a supporter of the budget cap, and he expects the field spread to shrink in ‘another two years’, as other teams begin to catch up with those at the top of the field (currently at three teams – Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes). Even McLaren have to do the same. But once that’s done – Formula 1 will be the better for it. Brown even thinks that there might be as many as five teams competing for wins soon.

Speaking on the Marshall Pruett Podcast, the McLaren CEO said: “I think you don’t put the switch overnight and go from 10th to first. But I think it will have its intended effect. I can see five teams competing for the championship in three, four, or five years – double what it is today.”

McLaren have not won a Constructors’ championship since 1998 – and a Drivers’ championship since 2008. But as one of the teams in the upper end of the midfield and with a good amount of resources already, they have the best chance of catching up with the top three teams. McLaren also have one of the largest fanbases in the world – and if they are more competitive, more of the fans will turn in, which means a better commercial output for F1.

Also Read: “You break the rules, whether it’s technical or financial,” a furious Zak Brown still claims to stand by his letter incriminating Red Bull for their cost cap violation 

Also Read: “He’s won a lot of championships in his first year,” McLaren driver Oscar Piastri is poised for great success in F1 according to Zak Brown