Why AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost does not expect equal opportunities in Formula 1 until 2023 and why the top teams still have an advantage in 2022
Around 125 million euros are available to each Formula 1 team in the 2022 season. This is what the financial regulations want, although they allow for a great many exceptions. But this is not the only reason why AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost assumes that top teams like Ferrari, Mercedes or Red Bull will continue to have an advantage.
Because according to Tost, the big racing teams in Formula 1 have had plenty of time to reduce their high staffing levels – but not without putting the many employees on notice of the upcoming rule changes for Formula 1 2022. “By the summer of 2021, the top teams have benefited,” says Tost.
He explains, “These teams were able to do more research and development, especially with simulations. They could pursue different design philosophies to find the best solution for them.” This, says Tost, could put the big teams one step ahead of the small ones after all.
Why everything will be (even) better in Formula 1 in 2023
The new (financial) rules, however, would lead to the goal in the medium term, Tost continues: “The gap between the top teams and the rest should be smaller, the cars closer together.” He expects a “more compact field” overall and better entertainment for the spectators.
The budget cap as a spending cap for the Formula 1 teams will only become noticeable afterwards, says Tost. Original sound bite: “The real effect will come in 2023. Then the maximum sum will be reduced again. And then no team will have an advantage. Everyone will then be busy trying to stay below the ceiling. “
This cap will be around 120 million euros per team per year in the 2023 season, down from just under 129 million euros in 2021 under the first budget cap in Formula One history. But AlphaTauri had not yet had to make any savings, says Tost: “We were operating well below that anyway.
Clever thinking pays off
“The completely new cars [for 2022] seem to be more expensive than the cars of previous years. That will make it difficult for the teams to stay under the limit. But the performance will be closer together. And I think that’s very positive.”
Jody Egginton as technical director of AlphaTauri, however, warns against too much euphoria and too much hope for surprises in Formula 1: “You can already assume that the balance of power will level out. But you still have to spend your money as wisely as possible. “
