Ferrari hears about Red Bull update: 'Questioning whether FIA control is sufficient'

Ferrari have been watching the Belgian Grand Prix closely. Max Verstappen was the master and there was little Carlos Sainz could do about it. The Spaniard finished no less than 27 seconds behind his old teammate, while he started from pole position and the reigning world champion had to start from P14. Mattia Binotto hopes Red Bull will not play tricks with the budget cap.

All Formula 1 teams are working with a maximum budget this year. This means that unlimited money can no longer be spent on updates. In the past, this was possible and it was always clearly to the advantage of the top teams as they had much bigger budgets to work with. Now, however, this is no longer possible and racing teams are forced to make choices: how much money do we invest in the development of the current car and how much money do we reserve for building the car for next year.

Especially with things like inflation and rising transport costs, it is difficult to stay within the budget. The usually well-informed German Auto, Motor und Sport knows that Red Bull will introduce a new monocoque later this season to get rid of the excess weight. The RB18 chassis is still five kilos too heavy. Binotto is somewhat shocked by this announcement.

Ferrari wants budget cap to be strictly controlled

The Ferrari team boss says: "We could never afford to develop a kilo lighter chassis - or any chassis - during the season because the budget does not allow it. I would be very surprised if that were possible for other teams. You have to wonder if the control is sufficient," the Italian said.

According to Binotto, the FIA should do more to ensure that all teams and their expenses are properly monitored and approved. "Unfortunately only a few people at the FIA keep an eye on it. That has to improve in the future. It would be very bad if the championship is decided by the financial rules."