No budget cap from 2020 means top teams “will always have an advantage” for 2021

Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has said that the “big teams will always have an advantage” going into the change of regulations for 2021 as no budget cap for 2020 will allow for more resources on development before its introduction.

The 2021 overhaul of regulations will bring a variety of changes to Formula 1 with a different looking car, change in downforce for better racing and most notably for teams the introduction of a $175 million budget cap to spend on resources and development per season.
 
But because that budget cap doesn’t come into effect until 2021 Steiner believes teams like Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull will be at a greater advantage to spend more on resources to develop their 2021 car whilst developing the 2020 car.
 
“As always, the big teams will always have an advantage,” said Steiner.
 
“They just have more resources and more people to develop the 2021 car to the new regulations, while at the same time developing a 2020 car.
 
“The budget cap comes in place in 2021. In the first years I don’t see a big difference in how the pecking order between the teams stacks up.
 
“There will still be the big three and then the rest. We know that. Hopefully, the gap closes a little bit to the big ones over time.
 
“For sure, we will try to do our best with whatever we have got to develop a good 2021 car.”
 
Red Bull boss Christian Horner is along the same lines as Steiner as they recently proposed a delay in the rules until 2022 except the $175m budget, which wasn’t supported.
 
“Unfortunately, I was not able to get Jean Todt and Chase Carey to support that idea,” Horner said to Auto Motor und Sport.

“I think it’s a mistake to zero everything at once. If we had delayed the start of the rules by a year, all the teams would have the same starting point.

“But now, the big teams can develop the 2021 car with all of their power outside of the budget cap. It’s an advantage compared to the small teams.”