Formula 1: Red Bull team boss Horner calls for an increase in the budget limit – and fears a forced break

Enlarge image

Christian Horner

Photo:

Mark Thompson/Getty Images

A dispute has broken out in Formula 1 about raising the new spending limit.

"Seven teams will probably have to skip the last four races to meet the budget limit," said Red Bull team boss Christian Horner.

The Brit referred to the inflation-related sharp rise in energy costs and the maintenance of the racing factories.

In addition, the prices for transporting the freight had quadrupled.

The world association Fia must therefore check whether the budget limit set for this season at around 140 million dollars per team will be increased, Horner demanded.

Otherwise, from the point of view of the team boss, some racing teams would either have to lay off numerous employees or forgo races.

According to the BBC, in addition to world championship leader Red Bull, the financially strong top teams Ferrari and Mercedes as well as McLaren are also pushing for an increase in the budget limit.

Before the Spanish Grand Prix, Ferrari team boss Red Bull assumed that they had already used up 75 percent of their development budget.

Red Bulls motorsport coordinator Helmut Marko denied that.

According to media reports, however, several racing teams are opposed to these efforts.

Alfa Romeo, Alpine, Haas and Williams voted against a proposal to adjust the spending limit to the inflation rate.

Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer suggested saving the elsewhere increased cost in development spending on the cars.

The top teams could skip races?

"I welcome that"

»We set our budgets early on, we anticipated inflation a little.

Inflation didn't just take us by surprise," said Szafnauer, whose team is sixth after six races.

“If we can do it, I'm sure others can too.

I'm not in favor of just raising the cap."

Regarding Horner's statement that individual teams might have to skip races, he said: "That will bring us forward in the championship.

I appreciate that,' he said.

"Should we plan for that, or was that just a joke?"

An Aston Martin spokesman said: "We support an increase in the budget ceiling in line with inflation, but see no need for an increase beyond that."

The limit was included in the rules last year to ensure more equal opportunities.

Because of the corona crisis, it was lowered again significantly.

In the coming year, it will be reduced by a further 4.5 million euros.

Above all, the smaller racing teams are concerned that if the spending limit is relaxed, the top teams in particular will benefit because they would not have to cut back as much as planned.

Several of the underdog racing teams are not reaching the limit with their budgets anyway, while the top teams are at least somewhat slowed down by strict spending limits.

ngo/rtr/dpa