Windsor calls for return of old base: ‘It can serve as a backup’

Peter Windsor is not a fan of the budget cap at all and the British journalist would like to see Formula 1 say goodbye to it. In addition, the 71-year-old believes that many of the current rules go against everything Formula 1 stands for. Windsor wants to reverse a number of decisions made by Formula 1 in recent years.

The budget cap was created a few years ago with the goal of leveling the playing field and saving costs. A spending limit has been set and Formula 1 teams may not exceed this limit. If the team does so, as Red Bull Racing did in 2021, a penalty will follow.

Windsor would like to see the budget cap, along with some other rules, go away as quickly as possible. In addition, the Briton would like to see some rules from the past return. “I would like to remove the budget cap and would like to see teams allowed to have a spare car again,” Windsor says in his speech. Live broadcast on YouTube. “I would like to see teams like Mercedes and Ferrari do what they have done in the past and build a completely new car mid-season to close the gap on Red Bull and win races at the end of the year. This is what Formula One should be about.”

Windsor does not like the fact that drivers are now only allowed to use a limited number of engines and that no changes can be made to the car from a certain point on the weekend. “This is the wrong way.” There are other better ways to save money, so I would like them to say goodbye to that. I wish we had a year in 2023 where Mercedes could have decided to build a new car, which would then be introduced at the US Grand Prix, for example. The same also applies to Ferrari.

Back to the old rule

According to Windsor, the restrictions are not in the interest of the sport. “It’s unfortunate that all these talented engineers can’t do anything because of the budget cap and other rules. This goes against everything Formula 1 stands for. Teams should have a spare car that a young driver can drive on Fridays, for example. It could be This also acts as a backup if one of the cars gets into trouble. The rules at the time were great. “I think we’ve lost a lot of the structure of F1 because those things are banned now,” Windsor said.