Any increase in F1 budget cap will 'widen the gap to the rest of the teams', says Haas team principal

Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner recently claimed that an increase in the budget cap for this season would significantly give rise to the disparity between the top teams and those like Haas. He insists that all this would do is allow teams such as Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes to bring in an extra update or two.

As reported by PlanetF1, Steiner said that increasing the budget cap would undo the whole purpose behind it in the first place. He said:

“The three top teams are pushing for an extra budget and assuming this proposal is somehow accepted, what would it lead to. Mercedes, Red Bull, and Ferrari would bring one or two extra updates to the track, which would eventually cancel each other out, and the only result would be to widen the gap to the rest of the teams. This was not the idea behind the budget cap when it was proposed and voted on.”

He further went on to add, saying:

“We, as a company, are also obliged to make savings, we have a budget we cannot exceed, and if costs increase on the one hand we have to make savings on other fronts. I think it works that way in all companies. If a managing director is not able to cope and solve such a situation, he is fired.”

Teams such as Red Bull, Ferrari, and Mercedes are pushing for an increase in the F1 budget gap, insisting that it will be impossible for the season to go smoothly without it.

---

Haas F1 boss does not oppose "extra budget" for cost of transporting freight

While Guenther Steiner opposed the F1 budget cap, he agreed that a leeway could be given for the cost of transporting freight in a controlled manner. He emphasized that as long as prices are rising, the budget for the same must be adjusted, which can then be readjusted once the prices are back to normal.

The Italian said:

“This is a problem that can be addressed, I see no downside. The costs have risen a lot but in the case of transport the advantage is that Formula One Management manages everything, so they are well aware of the extent of the increases that have happened in recent months. I don’t see any problem in giving extra budget on that front, a figure equivalent to the difference between the figure budgeted at the beginning of the year and the real cost we are facing. If expenses then fall in 2023, this extra will be removed or reduced as costs fall.”

Haas currently stands eighth in the constructors' standings with a total of fifteen points.