FIA open to scrapping cost cap in F1: “What’s the point of it?”

FIA had introduced a cost cap in 2021 to bring the competition on the F1 grid closer. While the new provision has worked over the past few years, policing various aspects of managing a team, FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem considers scrapping the cost cap, as the regulatory body has too many headaches to handle.

In the first year of the cost cap, Red Bull came out to be defaulters and were fined $7 million, along with a 10 percent reduction in aerodynamic testing for the next 12 months. While this was the biggest cost cap breach since the introduction of the system, Alpine and Honda were also fined under the cost cap regulations, but for procedural breaches.

The cost cap has enabled the grid to become a closer affair than that at the start of the turbo-hybrid era. But, this has also increased the workload of the FIA due to the nuances of the system, allowing teams to spend money on various items without them being accounted for under the cost cap.

Reflecting on the troubles that the regulatory body takes up, Mohammed Ben Sulayem said:

"I’m looking at the cost cap and it’s just giving the FIA a headache. So what’s the point of it? I don’t see the point. I really don’t."

While Mohammed Ben Sulayem has indicated stark changes in the paddock since he took up the role in 2021, his stature within the racing sphere has dwindled over his decisions in the past year.

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Mohammed Ben Sulayem could expect to see a revered F1 paddock member stand against him in the upcoming FIA elections

Carlos Sainz Sr. (L) and Mohammed Ben Sulayem (R) at the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Source: Getty

This has led people to call for another leadership figure for the FIA, when the presidential elections take place this year. Though no one has expressed their interest in fighting the Emirati in the upcoming elections, the speculations within the F1 paddock suggest otherwise.

According to Autosport, Carlos Sainz Sr. could potentially run for the presidency this year. The two-time rally champion is giving serious thought to possibly standing against Sulayem in the upcoming elections.

Sainz Sr. is a four-time F1 race winner and Carlos Sainz's father. The Spaniard clinched all of his race victories in Scuderia red but made way for Lewis Hamilton at the team ahead of the 2025 season.

This left him to choose between midfield and backmarker teams, and he decided to go with Williams, paying heed to James Vowles' leadership of the team. The Grove-based squad last won a race in 2012, and the 30-year-old aims to rebuild the team to its former glory alongside Alex Albon in the other seat.