Apparently, Formula 1 is in danger of having to write off the sprints planned for 2022 as the teams cannot agree on a funding package
According to McLaren CEO Zak Brown, Formula 1 is in danger of abandoning its plans for sprint races in 2022 due to the ongoing budget dispute. Actually, the number of sprints should be increased from three to six in the upcoming season, however, there is still no green light for this.
The reason: The teams cannot agree on a financing package with the commercial rights holder of Formula 1. While subsidies had already been agreed last year because of the additional costs associated with sprints and possible accident damage, these were to be adjusted accordingly for 2022.
Formula 1 offered a payment of $500,000 per team for the first five sprint races and an additional $150,000 for each additional one. That would effectively mean $2.65 million more for each team for the six sprints in 2022.
However, it is understood that this offer did not go down well with the larger teams, who are already at the budget cap and are worried that it will not be enough. They fear that the extra cost of the sprint races may force them to compromise.
Top teams want more financial freedom
According to Brown, this is why an unidentified team wants the budget cap to be raised by $5 million. The smaller teams, however, believe that this demand is merely an excuse to spend more money on performance improvement than is necessary for the sprint races.
The fact that no middle ground has yet been found on this point poses a problem for Formula 1. For just a few weeks before the first Formula 1 race of the season, the dispute over dear money threatens to jeopardise the plans for the sprint races altogether.
Brown, who is happy with the current financial package, in any case, expresses concern that some teams could abandon their position and the sprint idea could fail. Asked how F1 can break the financial deadlock, the McLaren CEO says: “Maybe not at all, and that would be unfortunate. “
The US American is far from happy about the push by the bigger teams to raise the budget cap. “We all have the same challenge,” he says. “So if there are more incidents, that’s a problem we all have. And for me, that’s part of the sport.”
“It’s about dealing with challenges, not solving them by getting my chequebook out,” Brown rages, adding, “One team wanted a $5 million increase in the budget cap, which was just ridiculous and not based on any rational facts.”
For, as Brown made clear in an earlier critique, the argument that you have to create a buffer for possible accidental damage only holds water to a limited extent: “As far as I know, I’ve seen more accidents in practice than in the sprints. “
Brown: Sacrifice focus on 2023 and 2022?
Under the current auspices, the McLaren CEO admits that it might be best to drop plans for sprints in the 2022 season and instead focus on getting approval for 2023. Because in that case, only six teams would have to support the plans instead of eight.
By way of background: Formula One’s current governance structure stipulates that a “super majority” of 28 votes out of the 30 representatives on the Formula One Commission is required to change the rules in the current racing year. In contrast, an absolute majority is sufficient for long-term rule changes.
While Formula One and the FIA are each guaranteed ten votes in favour of the sprint plans, getting eight teams to back the idea could be a problem, with Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari the most apprehensive – and could force their client teams to back their stance.
Brown warns, “I don’t want us to get into a situation where we have to vote for 2022 and get back to eight votes. I think we should look ahead and lock in 2023, with no increase in the cost cap.”
“Based on that, maybe then we can either compromise and raise the budget a little bit so we can start with 2022, or we leave 2022 out. In that case, a few of these teams will have to explain to the fans why there are no sprint races,” the US American looks ahead.
