Mosley confirms the budget cap rule in F1

Max Mosley, president of the FIA, confirmed that a budget cap will be in effect for all Formula 1 teams in 2009. All team directors have received the letter from the governing body outlining what will be on the list of restrictions and the areas that will not be affected by this cap.

This newsletter has not been disclosed to the public or the press, but it was evident that the letter was a summary of what was decided during a meeting at the FIA headquarters in Paris last week.

The areas that will be excluded from the budget cap include engines, marketing services, and the salaries of drivers and team directors. Additionally, Mosley indicated that it would encompass aerodynamics.

Some team directors, however, have reacted. This is the case with Mario Theissen, director of BMW Motorsport, who stated: If a team decides to spend a lot of money on its drivers, another team is free to spend its money on a computer or an aerodynamic package.

The FIA technical consultant Tony Purnell will discuss the issue with F1 teams in Paris at the end of this month. Mosley stated that a financial group will be appointed to determine the costs and the amount of the cap.

« Even if the financial working group is unable to develop a satisfactory method for verifying expenses or if the majority of the teams do not agree on the proposals that will be communicated to them before June 30, 2008, the cost reduction measures voted by the World Motor Sport Council will be adopted in full for 2009, » explained Mosley.

The latter also confirmed the freezing of engines for a period of five years, initially planned for ten. This means that the introduction of a new engine will only be allowed in 2013. Details on the new engine and various regulations will be announced in 2010, but the objectives will be given to the teams before January 1, 2009.

This regulation is directly in line with the idea of consistency with the requirements of the low-carbon industry.

« The budget cap, which will target engines only from 2013, will concern both the manufacturing cost of these engines for a season and, if these engines return to independent teams, the cost at which they will be sold to them, » concluded Mosley.