Brown on new rules: ‘Seven teams playing with the same size bat’

Although not much will change in terms of regulations next season, there is one significant difference. Formula One teams will have a budget cap for the first time.

Equal resources

The new financial regulations state that teams can only spend 145 million dollars per year, which should ensure more equality between the teams. McLaren team boss Zak Brown has confidence in this approach.

“AlphaTauri is very well funded. They kind of keep their head down, but I don’t think that team is short of resources," Brown estimated the competition on Motorsport.com. "Clearly Lawrence Stroll is investing a lot of money in his team. You then have Renault, who I think is at our level. So you’ve got seven teams that I think are all playing with the same size bat, if you like, and I think that’s great.”

Three or four wins

Brown, therefore, hopes that all these teams can compete for prizes in the future. "I don't think you can write anyone off, but that's good for the sport. It would be great if you could be champion again with three or four wins instead of fourteen."

According to Brown, McLaren has much to gain from the new rules. "The new era of Formula 1 plays right into our sweet spot. The budget cap meant we had to reduce our spending slightly, but not to the same extent as the three teams who were clearly spending more than us."

Less power for the teams

In addition to the budget cap, there is a new Concorde Agreement in place from 2021 that distributes both revenue and political power more effectively. Brown is pleased with these changes. "The regulations are better, it gives more power to F1 and the FIA instead of the teams. Under the previous rules, the teams had all the political power and could shape things better around their own agenda. I think that's been neutralised now."

Yet McLaren must also be careful. "Although we now have the qualities to be a big team because we operate at the level of the budget cap, it also creates more opposition from behind us. We have a better chance of catching the teams in front of us, but we have to be careful," concluded Brown.