Big bills for Ferrari
With an unforeseen bill of 2.5 million euros, Ferrari is seeking a revision of the maximum budget. The ceiling has been lowered to 145 million dollars this year instead of the initially planned 175 million dollars when the reform was implemented.
Can Formula 1 and the FIA go back on their decision? This is what Mattia Binotto, the director of the Ferrari team, wishes for. Starting this year, the maximum budget for teams has been set at 145 million dollars per year, provided that there are at least 21 races held. Initially, the cap was set at 175 million dollars annually. However, it was reduced taking into account the economic crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. In this matter, it is the biggest teams that are bearing the brunt. They now have to learn to spend less.
Mercedes and Red Bull have gone through a freezing winter. The two teams, battling for the top of the Championship, had to lay off staff. They could no longer afford to keep them due to lack of resources. And as the season progressed, the complications worsened when it came to paying for unexpected repairs.
Many accidents have raised some concerns. Red Bull faced a repair bill of $1.8 million for Max Verstappen’s accident at Silverstone. Following the serious crash between Bottas and Russell, Mercedes scaled back the development of their car to cut costs. During the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mattia Binotto raised the idea of making the culprits of accidents pay for the repairs.
If all teams do not think this scenario is feasible, Binotto believes there are justifiable reasons to discuss it with all teams and F1.
« There is a lot of debate about whether there is an accident and if there is a guilty driver and if you are not at fault, could the damage costs be exempt from the budget ceiling? »
This reflection follows the repair bill of 2.5 million euros (~ 3 million dollars) during the first half of 2021. A significant cost that does not help the case of the Ferrari team, struggling a bit this season.
« I think this is an important point. The reason why I mentioned 2.5 million euros is to show that the damages can be significant. Should we consider a different type of settlement in this kind of situation? »
His driver, Charles Leclerc, was not spared by accidents. In Monaco, the Monegasque completely missed his second qualifying lap and went straight into the safety barrier. In Hungary, in addition to the carnage caused by Bottas, Stroll crashed into his Ferrari. In this accident, Leclerc lost his second engine of the year. Once again, a new debate arises. Namely, whether teams should be exempt from grid penalties in case of an engine change only if the damage is caused by another driver.
« There is no obvious solution. There is talk of a new reduction in 2025. Going from three engines to two per season. It is clear that with fewer engines, the problem becomes more significant. We will discuss with all the other teams and with the FIA. It is a question that deserves to be explored.
