Cost CAP

Mosley explains 2010 cost cap

The FIA's Tuesday meeting in Paris confirmed what is the most radical shakeup of the sporting rules in Formula 1 history; the governing body, as well as introducing a wide range of technical regulations for next year, has made a number of modifications to start in 2009, chiefly that the driver with most wins to his name will be crowded champion

The FIA's two principal targets are as follows: to significantly reduce the overall running costs of the sport as well as improving the Formula 1 show for the public. With the loss of Honda at the end of last year, this only stressed that - coupled with the current economic crisis - the sport must reduce costs in order for it to be sustainable; these sentiments were echoed by Virgin boss Richard Branson, who was linked as a possible buyer of the squad in February.

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Starting next season, teams will be presented with the option of either developing their car under the current rules, or be given technical freedom with the sacrifice of a £30m (€33m, €42m) budget cut per year. "It has been carefully costed," FIA President Max Mosley said following the meeting. "The cars will be changed much less during the season because teams will not be able to spend on minute advantages like a $1,200 wheel nut which is only used once. From the grandstands or television though they won't look or sound any less 'Formula One' than the current, ultra-expensive cars. Teams with technical freedom (and the budget cap) will be interesting to watch too because they will be able to run special features when teams who stay on the current rules (with bigger budgets) will be confined as to what they can do.

Many people feel a budget cap would take away the true spirit of Formula 1, although Mosley is adamant that the changes would be for the better: "Keith Duckworth (part-founder of Cosworth engines) once said 'an engineer is someone who can do for one dollar what any idiot can do for a hundred dollars'; these rules will encourage clever engineering - success will come to teams with the best ideas, not only the teams with the most money."

The budget cap would include everything involved in the running of the team, minus motorhomes and any fines which could occur during the season. Engines, which are currently subject to a development freeze, have also come under scrutiny since Tuesday's meeting. "The engine will still comply with the current rules except there would be no rev limiters and no freezes on development," Mosley confirmed.

Add-ons such as special wheel nuts will not feature for cost-capped teams

Accusations have already been made stating that, with the likes of more powerful engines and more aero-efficient cars, those teams with technical freedom will be presented with a large advantage, to which Mosley responded: "We will make sure these advantages do no more than balance the disadvantages the cost-capped teams will have, because of their very restricted budgets. The other teams will have stable technical regulations for which we understand the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) intend to provide guarantees of continuing participation until 2012, confirmed by the major car manufacturers - the FIA has a lot of experience in performance adjustment and equivalence."

"There is no reason why cost-capped teams could not win races," Mosley concluded. "The massive and highly organised unlimited-expenditure teams are perhaps likely to do a better job of going racing - they will have the most expensive race engineers and tacticians, not to mention the top-earning drivers. However, racing is - and should be - unpredictable."