F1 row threatens existence of budget cap - Vasseur
"Inflation has nothing to do with force majeure"
Smaller teams are continuing to resist efforts to ramp up the budget cap as a response to inflation.
The $140 million budget cap has also become an issue in recent weeks as Ferrari’s Mattia Binotto expressed concerns about Red Bull’s rate of car development.
"It is no longer possible to bring new parts to every race," he said.
"At the pace of development that we are now seeing, many teams will soon reach the limits of the cost cap."
A source told Auto Motor und Sport: "If everyone is honest, there can be no further development after the Canadian GP."
An unnamed team boss added: "We’d have to lay off 50 people."
Red Bull has dismissed the accusation of questionable spending on car updates, but team boss Christian Horner is now warning that it is in fact spiralling inflation that is the big problem for teams.
"Some teams won’t be able to do the last races of the season," he is quoted as saying by Auto Motor und Sport.
Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur, however, says it’s nonsense to insist that inflation is akin to "force majeure" as an excuse for raising the budget cap.
"Inflation has nothing to do with force majeure," he said. "The pandemic was force majeure. Inflation is a normal process.
"The teams that don’t have much room for improvement can react to it very easily - just shut down their wind tunnel and build fewer parts.
"If we give up on the rules now, that would be the end of the budget cap."
Aston Martin’s Otmar Szafnauer agrees: "If we can do it, the others have to do it too."
Stake F1 Team - Kick Sauber
Sauber-Audi defends ’sudden’ Bottas change
Sainz is waiting for Red Bull and Mercedes, says Bottas
Official: Hülkenberg lands multi-year Sauber/Audi deal
’Discussions’ about 2025 seat have begun - Bottas
More on Stake F1 Team - Kick Sauber
Red Bull
Marko not ready to decide own future in F1
Marko: The others are copying us, some are copying better
Red Bull must focus more ’on racing’ - Verstappen senior
Red Bull ’don’t know’ cause of Monaco problem - Verstappen
Perez: I was disappointed that it was not investigated
More on Red Bull
F1 - FOM - Liberty Media
F1 must react to bizarrely boring Monaco GP
F1 teams expect ’usual’ Concorde Agreement talks
F1 not ready to regulate use of AI - Domenicali
FIA, Liberty want to end power struggle ’clashes’
F1 won’t be ’bored’ with off-track news at Imola - CEO
More on F1 - FOM - Liberty Media