Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore has proposed a new idea for the budget cap in Formula 1. The Italian is a fan of the limit, but suggests that the drivers’ salaries should also be included under the cost cap. Briatore, a long-time figure in Formula 1, has noticed that despite the sport becoming much more expensive, the ‘show’ on the track remains exactly the same.
This is already the fifth season that the budget cap has been in effect in Formula 1. The measure was introduced in 2021 to create a more level playing field for the teams in the premier class. Racing teams with smaller budgets than the top teams would thus have the opportunity to catch up with the teams at the front of the grid. This season, the budget cap is set at $140 million, around €122 million.
Among other things, the drivers’ salaries are not included in the limit, but Flavio Briatore wants to change that. “It was a very good idea to set a cost cap for the teams. I think it should stay,” the Italian businessman tells the media. “I also think that the driver’s salary should be part of it.”
‘The show is the same’
Briatore has been active in Formula 1 since the 1980s and was team boss of Benetton and Renault among others. The sport has changed significantly during his time. “The difference between my time at Renault and now is that the costs have really skyrocketed,” continues the Alpine executive. “The races are the same. What you see on television is the same. The battles between the drivers are the same. But the costs have dramatically increased. It’s not because the costs have increased that everything is better or that the show is better. It’s the same.”
