The biggest Formula 1 teams have begun to find ways to exploit budget cap rules in relation to staff numbers, according to Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer.
The regulations were brought in to create a level playing field among all 10 teams, in the financial sense. Most were either already operating on a budget lower than the cap or did not have to take too many cost-cutting measures, but the big three in particular needed to rein in their spending.
That, unfortunately, involved a swathe of job cuts. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull were forced to cut staff numbers in order to give themselves a better chance of complying with the budget cap – of course, the latter did commit a "minor" overspending breach in 2021, the first season the regulations came into force.
