Franz Tost has rejected the idea that a budget cap in Formula 1 would not work, feeling that the FIA could bring in a system that works in the future.
Liberty Media, the organisation taking over the ownership of the sport, are rumoured to be investigating whether to introduce a cap on what a team can spend per year, and Scuderia Toro Rosso Team Principal Tost knows the spiralling costs in Formula 1 need to be address, feeling that even what the manufacturer entrants spend is no longer feasible.
Despite concerns from Scuderia Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne, Tost believes the FIA will be able to keep track on expenses so no team breaks the cap, especially if they double the price of parts should someone not want to present all of their costs.
“Give each team, for example, 150 million Euros with the FIA watching over it,” said Tost to Austrian publication Tiroler Tageszeitung. “The big teams will cry foul that there is no way to control costs but this is nonsense. Over at Toro Rosso, I know how much each screw costs.
“Many claim you cannot control development – nonsense as well. If somebody shouldn’t want to present their expenditures, it could be pretty easy: then the FIA could charge this team twice the average price of the part in question. And then you’ll see how fast all invoices would be filed with the FIA.”
“We need to reduce the costs. It shouldn’t be that a team spends 450 million Euros a year. On the other hand, we bargain for a few cents when it comes to road cars. Even the manufacturers cannot accept sums like this forever. It’s not feasible. We spent way too much money on F1.”
