Budget runs out at Ferrari, development halted for this year

Ferrari will no longer develop their car this year. That reports Motorsport.com. According to team boss Mattia Binotto, the budget for this year has run out, and the team will now focus on next season's car.

Although Max Verstappen has already clinched the title this weekend, there is plenty at stake for the rest of the grid in the final four races. The battle for second place will be particularly interesting, as Sergio Perez and Charles Leclerc are only separated by one point there. A little further behind, Carlos Sainz will try to close the five-point gap to George Russell to still grab that fourth spot. But both Ferrari drivers have a tough battle ahead now that their car will not be developed any further.

The last bit of budget Ferrari had has been used for technical developments to the car in Singapore and Japan. The main focus is a new floor that should better handle turbulence at the front wheels to create better airflow. This latest development means Ferrari may not invest any more money in this year's car as they are now at this season's budget limit. So all the Italians' focus will now go to next year's car.

Running out of budget, therefore, means Ferrari will have to finish the last races of the season with the current parts. So whether that will be enough remains to be seen. The race at Suzuka showed once again that Red Bull had the better package in terms of tyre wear. While Perez and Verstappen finished the race on intermediates without too many problems, Leclerc's tyres almost looked like slicks at the end.