“There are several reasons to be excited” - McLaren team boss on F1 2022 season

Ahead of the much-anticipated 2022 F1 season, McLaren team boss Zak Brown revealed the team's goals for the upcoming season in a recent blog post by the team. New technical regulations are coming up this season and the financial cap is set to reduce the disparity in car performance across the grid. In light of this, Brown has reason to believe that the future for the British team in F1 looks bright and makes for exciting on-track experiences from a spectator's point of view.

Brown said in the blog:

“There are several reasons to be excited for F1 in 2022. The new technical regulations present one of the biggest resets the sport has seen. Not only will the revisions increase the unpredictability of the competitive order as we head to the first round in Bahrain, but the changes to the cars (with an emphasis on ground-effect aerodynamics) should enrich the on-track spectacle for the fans.”

McLaren is slowly making its way back to the top after having visibly struggled for the last few years. Lando Norris achieved his maiden pole position for the team at the 2021 Russian Grand Prix, while Daniel Ricciardo gave the team their first race win since 2012 in Monza. This has given McLaren tremendous momentum, going into 2022, and the Woking-based team hopes to make enough progress over the season to get closer to returning to their championship-winning days.

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"A fairer framework" - McLaren team boss comments on budget cap

After the $145 million cap was introduced in the 2021 F1 season, the 2022 season is in for a $140 million cap. This cap will be reduced even further in 2023 and is slated to reach $135 million. Zak Brown believes that this will be a massive stepping stone for teams that have less financial backing to compete with the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull, allowing for pure racing and engineering to stand out.

Writing on the budget cap on the McLaren blog, Brown said:

“Our opportunity to be competitive has been underpinned with the introduction of the budget cap in F1. With the spending limit reducing to $140m this year and $135m next, the new financial regulations present us – and the sport as a whole – with a fairer framework to compete by reducing the inevitable advantage of the biggest-spending and best-resourced teams.”

Whilst staying cautious of the challenges in the upcoming season, Brown is optimistic that the new regulations and cost caps will give all teams the chance to compete on a more level playing field.