If you haven’t heard, the new regulations being introduced to Formula One in 2021 will finally include a ‘cost cap’, somewhat similar to the salary cap in place across a number of American sports. The cap will limit the spending of Formula One teams to no more than £175 million across the course of each season – note that the cap only applies to money spent on the performance of the car, excluding things like marketing, driver salaries, etc.
The cap is something that fans have been clamouring for over the past few years, watching the gap between the top teams and the midfield cars become wider than it has ever been. Both fans and F1 management are hoping that this new cap will reduce that gap, creating a more even playing field which creates a higher level of competition between all cars on the grid.
Impact of the cost cap
While this all seems as though it should be good for the sport, there are some concerns. While the cap does amount to a large cut back in how much the big teams can spend on developing their cars, it doesn’t aid the smaller teams in spending more. Some of the midfield teams will have no problem spending up to the cap, Renault as an example, however there are other’s that still may not be able to meet that point. Meaning that for all the effort, there could still be a large gap between the elite teams and the midfield.
However, the worry I have about the cap is a little different. Formula One has always been seen as the pinnacle of motorsport, and throughout the years there have been countless developments and advancements in technology that have not only revolutionised the sport, but also had a huge impact on the motor industry in general. Take a read of this fascinating list of developments in Formula One over the past 50 years.
There will still be plenty of small little innovations and quirks that the teams will bring with this cap, remembering back to the McLaren F-duct and I’ll always look forward to seeing what teams bring to the grid each season in an attempt to out do each other.
My worry is that the cost cap will take this away, it will take away the evolution and take away what makes the sport so revolutionary. It feels like another change that could deal a blow to the sport or help it find it’s way back to the top. Only time will tell.
If you would like to know more about the new cost cap, you can read this article on the F1 website which tells you absolutely everything that you need to know.
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