"Important to apply common sense" - McLaren backs Red Bull in reviewing F1's cost cap

McLaren has backed Red Bull’s push for a review of F1’s cost cap, as inflation continues to skyrocket following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Team principal Andreas Seidl said that McLaren will support a “common sense” approach during discussions on whether the cost approach requires any significant changes.

Speaking to GPFans following the conclusion of Barcelona testing, the German said:

“It is always important to apply common sense. The situations that have come up in the last weeks and months with inflation and so on, I know the additional crisis that is going on, I think it is important to have a discussion about it and see what makes sense.”

He further added, saying:

“We are absolutely up for that discussion, and we will hold the discussions with the other teams, together with the FIA as well because I think we have the same challenge being in the cap and now having these additional and unexpected expenses. So open for the discussion, important also, open for solutions or potential adjustments as long as everything is happening within reason.”

In the past, McLaren has been steadfastly against any changes to the cost cap’s current arrangement. When Red Bull called for allowances to be made to account for crash damage following the Hungarian Grand Prix, when Valtteri Bottas inflicted significant damage to both of its cars, McLaren refused to join them despite their driver Lando Norris having also suffered critical damage to his car.

The ever-increasing inflation driven by rising oil prices, however, has put the financial situation of F1 teams in a precarious position. Some teams have now struggled to manage costs to remain within the budget cap.

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Red Bull is reportedly ahead of Ferrari, according to a Mercedes engineer

Despite struggling with understeer issues for the majority of the Bahrain pre-season testing, Red Bull seems to have successfully found solutions to their problems.

According to an anonymous Mercedes engineer, the team is reportedly ahead of Ferrari in terms of performance, at least in the shorter stints. Speaking to the German publication Auto Motor und Sport, they said:

“Red Bull in front of Ferrari, according to our calculations we are half a second behind.”

Milton Keynes brought in a major upgrade package to the RB18 on day three of Bahrain testing. According to Helmut Marko, this change reportedly allowed them to claw back nearly 2 seconds' worth of performance.

Meanwhile, Ferrari has been observed to have a strong performance advantage in longer runs. So far across testing, the Scuderia has kept the true potential of its new power unit hidden. Some are expecting it to be the new class of the field, potentially making the team unbeatable in a straight line.