Formula 1® cost-cutting measures approved
Thursday, 28 May 2020
Significant changes will be introduced.
Formula 1®'s cost-cutting measures have been approved by the FIA amid the coronavirus pandemic.
After a vote of the World Motor Sport Council on Wednesday, the cost cap for 2021 will be lowered from $175million per year to $145m, "with further reductions in the following years".
The 2020 F1® season is yet to get underway due to COVID-19, which has killed more than 356,000 people worldwide.
Also agreed on Wednesday was that the lower a team finishes in the constructors' championship, the more wind tunnel time they will be allowed to use to develop their car the following year.
The FIA also approved a measure to limit downforce on the 2021 cars.
BREAKING: The @FIA World Motor Sport Council has confirmed rule changes for 2020, 2021 and 2022, including a new cost cap and aero rules#F1 pic.twitter.com/jZOxNcaNKD
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 27, 2020
Other changes include:
- Several components, including the chassis and gearbox, have been frozen between this year and 2021, with a token system allowed for a very limited number of changes including McLaren's switch to Mercedes power.
- A limitation on the number of upgrades a power unit manufacturer can make over a season, beginning in 2021.
- A minimum weight increase of 3kg to 749kg, from next year.
- Provisions made for "open" and "closed" events this year amid COVID-19 with mass gatherings banned in several countries.
