FIA set to interrogate non-F1 personnel to expose cost cap violations

FIA’s TD45 strengthens IP monitoring to ensure F1 teams adhere to cost cap regulations.

FIA set to interrogate non-F1 personnel to expose cost cap violations

FIA director Mohammed Ben Sulayem (Image credit: Autosport)

The FIA has taken steps to address a potential loophole in Formula 1, where teams exploited external personnel for car design and development. By employing off-budget staff on unrelated projects, teams gained an unfair advantage. They utilized their acquired knowledge for their F1 operations while keeping their official spending lower.

Responding to concerns raised by multiple teams, the FIA has taken action by issuing a technical directive called TD45. This prevents unaccounted knowledge transfer to F1 teams outside the cost cap. Effective January 1, any intellectual property shared from technical divisions must now be included in cost cap spending.

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The FIA is actively monitoring non-F1 staff activities, conducting interviews, and thoroughly examining their projects. To ensure separation and prevent knowledge sharing, the FIA scrutinizes work samples from these staff members. These measures reflect the FIA’s commitment to addressing potential exploitation and maintaining transparency in F1 operations.

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TD45 allows teams to keep their special technical divisions operational instead of shutting them down completely. However, it clearly states that while they can use the knowledge gained from the F1 team for non-F1 activities, they can’t use it the other way around.

Also read: Red Bull raises alarming concerns over cost cap penalty, claims it will hamper the development of 2024 challenger

Mercedes hires staff for cost cap monitoring, reveals Toto Wolff

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff (Image credit: Insidersport)

To ensure that they remain well within the cost cap budget, several teams are making drastic changes. Even couple principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the severe changes made by Mercedes, to oversee the team’s cost cap operations. At the 2023 Canadian Grand Prix, Wolff explained the new recruitments made by the Silver Arrows.

Toto Wolff explained that they had established a large organization of 46 individuals in their financial department to monitor the cost cap meticulously. He stated that this organization tracks spending trends throughout the year and allocates resources to different projects. Wolff emphasized that they have remained below the cost cap limit both last year and this year. He also mentioned that their plans for next year’s development align with expectations.

“We have set up a huge organisation in our financial department of 46 people, that monitors the cost cap. It follows the trend of spending during all of the year and what we’ve done is basically allocated resource to various projects. We stayed below that line all year last year, and we’ve stayed below that line this year,” he stated.

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