Ferrari budget comments don't reflect reality, says Zak Brown

McLaren

Ferrari budget comments don't reflect reality, says Zak Brown

Time for Formula 1 to kick the "old habits"

Sam Hall

Friday 24 April 2020 21:20

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has rebuffed comments from Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto that Formula 1 should not rush the introduction of an extreme cost cap, with the supremo saying that now is exactly the right time to make drastic changes.

Throughout the 70 year history of Formula 1, the sport has become more and more about excess, and Brown, along with several other team bosses, sees this global crisis as an ideal moment for Formula 1 to kick the 'old habits'.

“We are in a situation where if Formula 1 goes by its old habits, we’re all at extreme risk for the future of F1,” said Brown in a media conference call.

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“And I think if we think forward and get with the times, we can not only survive what’s going on right now, but I ultimately think the sport can can thrive and we all win.

“I’m all for a good healthy debate. But I think the comments that I’m being seen put forward don’t stack up, contradict themselves, and don’t accurately reflect what I think is reality.”

A cost cap has been agreed upon of $145 million for 2021, and there have been discussions on lowering this further in 2022 to $130m.

On Thursday, Binotto stated that Ferrari would be forced to "look at other further options for deploying our racing DNA" if this were enforced. This was widely taken as a threat to quit the sport if this cap were introduced - a fact that a later statement from Ferrari to clarify the comments did nothing to change.

Ferrari evaluating Formula 1 future over 'demanding' budget capRead more

Binotto urged Liberty Media, "This is not the time to react in a hurry as there’s a risk of making decisions on the back of this emergency without clearly evaluating all the consequences.”

Brown disagreed, adding, “I’m almost at a loss of what you say to that. I think we all recognise that in modern times we’re going through the biggest crisis the world has seen.

“You have countries shut down. You have industry shut down, and to not be in a hurry to address what’s going on, I think, is a critical mistake. It’s living in denial.

“I think you would find pretty much every president or prime minister or CEO around the world is operating in a hurry to tackle this issue head on.”