Ecclestone wants a budget cap in F1

[theforce]

Bernie Ecclestone would support a mandatory budget cap in Formula One, in order to bring the spending of the biggest teams in line with the backmarkers.

Current budgets in F1 have been estimated to range from €35 million to €200 million with the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) the only check on spending. But Ecclestone reckons all the teams should learn to be more prudent and attempt to slash their budgets.

"The teams have to learn to be competitive without tonnes of money," he told the official Formula One website. "They have to refocus again on the basics - on racing, spending on the sport - and not on baronial motorhomes and all kinds of entertainment."

He added: "We have had this kind of problem for quite a while now as of course they spend what they have. You could install a mandatory budget for all teams - on the basis of the smaller teams - but they [the big teams] don't like it and fiercely fight against it."

Asked if he would be in favour of such measures, he said: "I would welcome it. Yes, I think it could happen."

The last time Formula One tried to introduce a budget cap was in 2009 during negotiations over the current Concorde Agreement - the contract which binds the teams, the FIA and Formula One Management together. The teams threatened to create a breakaway series unless the proposed £40 million cap was dropped and eventually agreed to the first RRA in order to curb spending.

Asked about the state of negotiations over the next Concorde Agreement, the current one will expire at the end of 2012, Ecclestone said: "We are in the middle of discussions."

He said the main point of contention was money: "They [the teams] want to get more money - to be able to spend more!"

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/s...tml?CMP=chrome

This is ridiculous; spend less so others can catch up. Even if top teams spent less, what hope do teams like HRT have of getting in the top 15? And how can you spend on the sport when every new technology introduced is banned except for Aero which should only be useful for Aircraft manufacturers as Luca mentioned. Even with Aero; oh you can blow here and not there, you can blow this and not that...blah blah blaaaaah.

ONLY thing that needs fixing is removing these old farts in charge with some young blood to revitalize the sport. Who can honestly think these guys are worried about "future"?

[Greig]

Maybe he should have a budget cap on the money he charges tracks?

But as it's concorde agreement time then expect more rubbish like this to appear

[Tifosi]

and one only has to look at the spending habits and lifestyle of his daughter Tamara to know that Bernie is and has always been one of the most frugal and money conscious people in motorsport.

[REDARMYSOJA]

This again?

How about they regulate HRT and Marussia to GP2.

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

This again?

How about they regulate HRT and Marussia to GP2.

Agreed! If you haven't got the money then leave the sport.

[Jose-Lorca Fan]

Maybe he should have a budget cap on the money he charges tracks?

But as it's concorde agreement time then expect more rubbish like this to appear

+1

[Ferrari2183]

Bernie at it again. He just wants to give the teams less of the pie.

Nothing new here.

[Tony]

Maybe it's time for F1 to stop changing the rules every bloody freaking year.... there should be a rule freeze for 5 years, that would help severely reduce costs right off the bat....

[scuderiafan]

to be honest, i wouldn't mind a budget cap. but only if the teams are allowed to spend their money on whatever they choose. it is a lot better than the system we currently have, imo. teams would be free to spend on engines, aero, suspension just providing they don't go too far, and not over the cap.

Maybe it's time for F1 to stop changing the rules every bloody freaking year.... there should be a rule freeze for 5 years, that would help severely reduce costs right off the bat....

, this causes teams to spend even more money.

[RedRebel40]

Agree with greig, because of that f1 tickets are extremelt expensive.

[FER]

Maybe it's time for F1 to stop changing the rules every bloody freaking year.... there should be a rule freeze for 5 years, that would help severely reduce costs right off the bat....

Good idea, but unfortunately changing rules is the only way FIA can have the control over the distribution of power in the sport. For example there had to be a way to stop the supermacy of Ferrari 2005 and, from a different perspective, to elevate another team in order to keep and increase income. Same thing about Red Bull: only thing they can easily achieve is to build a good aero department. This is very difficult for teams like Ferrari and Mclaren which have dozens of departments and hundreds of engineers in their structures. Its the same problem regarding flexibility and adapting when you look at a big corporation and a small company. Its always more efficiently and easily to destroy everything and build it up in the new way. But its practically impossible.

Lets hope FIA have decided Red Bull got enough.

[NJB13]

I can feel a Luca "Ferrari could have to leave" comment coming on ....

[killer]

This from someone who suggested artificially wet races.

[Ste]

How about Bernie dips into his 2.5bn worth and gives the 4 worst teams 50m each. Probably earn that back in interest every year anyway.

[Hornet]

This again?

How about they regulate HRT and Marussia to GP2.

Agreed. They've done so many budget cuts to F1 just to make it "affordable" to these smaller teams, and yet these teams don't seems to be taking it half as serious as the others.

[epiclyaddicted]

I said it a couple of months back, negotiations for a new Concorde Agreement coming up. So expect a lot of more this to-ing and fro-ing between Bernie and the teams.

[Fiondella]

Bernie has been prescribed HRT

[TheProdigalSon]

http://www.polo-shirts.co.uk/Caps+an...bdc247697c4ef4

Only £0.63p!! Bargain Bernie!!

[dpiatto]

Best thing that can happen for the teams to refuse to sign any agreement until F1 becomes a sport again and not a circus.
Problem is he controls everything & will take down everybody with him.
Pity coz he is a funny guy.

[Rob]

Maybe he should have a budget cap on the money he charges tracks?

But as it's concorde agreement time then expect more rubbish like this to appear

+1 and stop so much money going out of the sport Bernie, then there would be more to go around the teams.

[Suzie]

Bernie can have as many ideas as he wants to be honest, provided the medal system isn't one of them.

[F2008]

Bernie can have as many ideas as he wants to be honest, provided the medal system isn't one of them.

I would prefer a medal system instead of his shortcuts proposal

[Corey]

Budget cap? Who do you think you are to control how others spend? For sure you wanta equal out the teams, but that's totally an on track matter, utterly too far-fetched to take away / control privileges some people have. Do you think you'll go your neighbor to get rid of their Plasma HD just because you couldn't afford one? Top teams suck up all the tough sh!t from all these biased regulations and changes in favor of small teams. It's a MODIFIED sport with ARTIFICIAL RESULTS. My gawd...

[justjesper]

He knows the big teams will fight this. This way he has more to threaten with.
Bernie would be making more money as he is not the one, as Greig is also saying, to bring down the fees to the race tracks.
On the other hand the Teams could also talk our case ( the fans ) to bring those prices down so we can go and see these amazing races. But thats in my dreams