McLaren boss accuses F1 teams of "holding the sport hostage"
McLaren boss accuses F1 teams of "holding the sport hostage"
McLaren CEO Zak Brown has suggested F1 is being 'held hostage' by a number of 'chequebook racing teams' who have failed to come to terms with the budget cap.
Last season, in a bid to prevent spending from spiralling out of control as teams like Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull engaged in an arms race, F1 introduced a cost cap to at least help their rivals try and compete on a more level playing field.
A limit was set at $145million, dropping to $140m for this year and $135m from next year, yet Brown has claimed lobbying is going on behind the scenes to increase the limit, with sprint races being used as the excuse.
The sprint was trialled at three grands prix weekends last season, and although there were mixed reviews, six races will feature the one-third-distance event this year.
Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto and Red Bull counterpart Christian Horner both suggested last year the budget cap should be raised to accommodate the prospect of damage sustained, in particular, as well as general overall racing costs.
Yet a defiant Brown, via a column on McLaren's website, said: "We must continue to drive economic sustainability across the sport.
"Some teams still look for excuses to raise the cost cap and win world championships with chequebooks.
"The ongoing lobbying by certain teams to increase the cost cap for sprint race damage is a continuing example.
"The Saturday sprint race initiative by Formula 1 has added new viewers and raised the profile of the sport to expand its global fanbase.
"However, these teams continue to demand a raise to the cost cap by an inordinate amount of money, despite the clear evidence that little damage was incurred during these races last year, in a thinly veiled attempt to protect their competitive advantage from being eroded.
"The current governance structure of the sport enables a situation where some teams, to protect their own competitive advantage, are effectively holding the sport hostage from what’s best for the fans and therefore the sport at large.
"These teams seem unable to accept that a budget cap is in the best interests of the sport and cannot kick their habit of spending their way to the front."
Highlighting the benefit to McLaren of the cost cap, Brown added: "The combination of our talent and know how with investments from our shareholders, partners and robust financial stewardship has positioned us well for the next stage in our competitive journey.
"And 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."
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 team announces 2026 title bid in BLOW to Red Bull
- 45 minutes ago
Brundle questions Ferrari Hamilton decision with Vettel comparison
- 2 hours ago
- 1
McLaren driver opens F1 'school' with stars among SHOCK first students
- 3 hours ago
F1 Chinese Grand Prix weather forecast - latest today from Shanghai
- Today 13:38
F1 champion claims team may WRITE OFF Chinese GP sprint race
- Today 12:57
Verstappen SLAMS key F1 Chinese Grand Prix decision
- Today 11:57
F1 Race Calendar
-
GP BAHRAIN
29 Feb - 2 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP SAUDI ARABIA
7 - 9 Mar
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRALIA
22 - 24 Mar
Carlos Sainz
-
GP JAPAN
5 - 7 Apr
Max Verstappen
- GP CHINA 19 - 21 Apr
- GP USA 3 - 6 May
- GP ITALY 17 - 19 May
- GP MONACO 24 - 26 May
- GP CANADA 7 - 9 Jun
Related news
F1 star reveals how Verstappen and Hamilton rivalry influenced key decision
Norris reveals CRUCIAL save that kept him at McLaren
F1 star hints future Ferrari move after Hamilton influence
McLaren reveal SECOND key F1 departure within week
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860