"Little teams have too great a voice" - Red Bull asks for major change in F1 cost cap rules

Red Bull boss Christian Horner feels that the smaller teams have too big a voice in F1 and that is counterproductive to the bigger teams.

Before the 2021 F1 season, there was no cost cap involved and even the distribution of the revenue was not equitable to a great extent. Over the last few years, the revenue distribution has become more equitable and so has the voice of the smaller teams in terms of the budget cap.

As a result, teams like Red Bull, Mercedes, and Ferrari, the major spenders in the sport, have had to scale back significantly. Speaking about the budget cap and the bigger voice for the smaller teams because of this, Horner told RacingNews365 that there might be a need to take a look at that aspect. He said:

"One could argue the little teams have too great a voice on implementing a significant rule that can effect the top teams, with things that that quite simply don't affect them. Particularly through the budget cap, I think that's where the FIA and the promoter really need to look at."

Sharing an example of how a cost cap starts to become a deterrent, the Red Bull boss spoke of how any technological partnership would involve the partner giving free laptops or accessories to the team for branding purposes. Since these accessories end up finding their way into the cost cap, the bigger teams (and hence the bigger brands) will have to forego bringing those products on board. He said:

"Just as a simplistic argument, technology partnerships and F1 have always been hugely important. But when certain technology comes into a budget cap from say, for example, a computer sponsor who wants to give you a new laptop, you might not need the new laptop, but the sponsor wants it to showcase their product. However, when that product then comes under the budget cap and you have to turn it down, that's when there's areas that we can improve so as not to dissuade technology companies coming into F1."

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It's a very, very complicated set of regulations: Red Bull

Speaking further about the regulations and the cost cap, Christian Horner emphasized that these were a very complex set of regulations. Drivers at some of the major cost centers end up reaching the cost cap, making it a very stressful exercise. The Red Bull boss said:

"I think it's a very, very complicated set of regulations. And of course, they will evolve. What I would like to see is less pressure beyond the cap moving forward. Your biggest drivers of costs are the technical and the sporting regs. If we put more emphasis into what those costs and how those costs are driven, by those regulations, it will in turn put less stress on the cap."

The Red Bull boss' argument could be termed fair. It is, however, safe to say that although some alterations could be made in the future, the cost cap, in essence, has led to a more equitable ecosystem in F1 and that is a desirable outcome for the sport.