F1 News: McLaren Shoots Holes In Cost Cap Regulations

Zak Brown has called out the F1 for changes to be made to the cost cap.

McLaren boss Zak Brown has made calls for the F1 to change the cost cap in order to help teams improve sustainability. 

The cost cap was brought in for the 2021 season as a way of bringing the teams closer together and the on-track action more exciting. Red Bull infamously exceeded the cost cap in its first year and was handed a $7 million fine as well as a 10% reduction in wind tunnel time for the 2023 season. Aston Martin were the only other team to go over the budget, but were only given a fine of $450,000 as their breach was much smaller.

Many teams have spoken about the difficulties surrounding the cost cap and now Brown is calling for it to be increased as the sport is on its journey to be carbon neutral by 2030. 

Brown explained in a statement:

"We strongly believe in the cost cap and wouldn't want to see anything that undermines its integrity. But current regulations have created some unintended barriers when it comes to investing in sustainability.

"It's been fantastic to see so much support from F1 and other teams on this issue, and we're delighted that the FIA has established a working group to explore next steps.

"But to unlock our sport's potential to drive the development of more sustainable technologies that can spark positive changes on a global scale, we need a genuine step change.

"That requires a level playing field so teams can work towards achieving the same targets and no longer need to choose between investing in car performance and investing in sustainability."

Brown is also keen on pushing for alterations to the cost cap which means teams can put money into increasing inclusivity and diversity. He continued:

"Our sport needs a clear regulatory framework with financial, technical and sporting regulations that better enable us all to innovate and invest in sustainability. We need to find better ways to share expertise and insights across our industry.

"Only true collaboration will help us drive meaningful change. And if we want to achieve a step change with the new set of 2026 regulations, then those decisions need to be made now."

Kim Wilson, McLaren's director of sustainability has also released a statement over increasing sustainability. The statement reads:

"Our mission to 'set the standard for performance in sport' applies to sustainability as much as it applies to our on-track performance.

"And as the only racing team to participate in F1, IndyCar, Formula E and Extreme E as well as eSports we have a unique opportunity to foster innovation and cross-learning across our sport to accelerate the changes needed to positively address our economic, environmental and social impacts.

"While as a team, we can point to significant progress in delivering operational improvements across our four sustainability pillars last year, I hope that we are demonstrating through our actions that we are willing to experiment and share our learnings with other teams, our regulators and stakeholders.

"It is now time for accelerated action and industry-wide collaboration that drives meaningful change in the next few years."