In a game-changing move, Formula 1 is tightening its grip on spending loopholes.
Formula 1’s budget cap regulations aimed to slim down team sizes, but instead, they’ve ballooned, with top teams now boasting up to 1,500 staff members.
“The top teams are now employing 1,500 people without the engine department,” revealed one team boss to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.
But how did this staffing explosion occur? It’s all down to clever maneuvers, like shifting full-time staff to part-time roles to evade budget restrictions.
And if that wasn’t enough, some teams are even branching out into unexpected ventures like building bikes and boats to skirt the rules.
The 2026 regulations will rewrite the game, mandating that every penny of staff wages counts towards the cap.
“This is a real step towards more fairness,” declares Williams boss James Vowles, heralding a new era of equality on the track.
Yet, the battle against loopholes is far from over. Allegations swirl around staff shuffles between friendly teams, most notably Red Bull Racing and the newly-rebranded RB team.
RB team boss Laurent Mekies vehemently denies any wrongdoing, citing voluntary agreements with the FIA. But is everything as transparent as it seems?
FIA’s Nikolas Tombazis issues a stern warning: “Switching between teams will face scrutiny, especially among friendly alliances.”
