'Formula 1 is considering freezing engine developments in order to save costs'

Formula 1 is currently considering a mandatory shutdown of the engine as well. This stop should ensure that the teams from the king's class of car racing can reduce costs even further now that the coronavirus is also hitting them hard.

Of course, a team can always choose to stop development, but if they decide to do so, chances are they will be behind when the season starts in a few months time. That's why a mandatory break for all formations is now being considered. R&D costs will decrease and also customer teams such as Williams and Haas F1 will in all likelihood receive a smaller invoice that they will have to pay to Mercedes and Ferrari respectively.

The first measures to reduce costs have already been implemented last week, with, for example, postponing the new regulations until 2022. So it may not stay there. The team bosses consult with Formula 1 on what other measures can be taken. The further reduction of the budget cap of 175 million dollars is one of the possibilities, says Autosport.com.

Doubts reign about lowering budget cap

However, according to the aforementioned medium, this is not a certainty: "There are concerns that moving that down by $25 million or more would only really affect the top three teams - and could force a number of redundancies at a time when employees may find it hard to get other work."