Good news for top drivers? "Most teams don't necessarily have to have salary cap"
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- GPblog.com
Frederic Vasseur discussed the possible introduction of a salary ceiling in Formula 1. At the moment the race stables pay tens of millions of euros a year to their drivers and that is not entirely in line with the extreme budget ceiling of 145 million dollars per season that has recently been accepted. Alfa Romeo's team boss doesn't think it's a crazy idea to also limit the drivers' salaries, but according to him it's not in a hurry.
"The impact of the crisis will be enormous for everyone, from the top teams to the smallest team in Formula 1", Vasseur talks to Auto, Motor und Sport. The chief hints that it is important that all the race stables realise that it is not possible to keep throwing hundreds of millions every season. "We have to be sober. This is also important for the image of the sport. That's why I think the decisions we made were good. But there's always more to come."
How can the costs be further reduced?
According to Alfa Romeo, more measures are needed to reduce costs in the pinnacle of motorsport. "There were several discussions. Some people wanted to stick to the original budget cap of $175 million. McLaren and we wanted to go to $100 million. That was perhaps a little optimistic. Every team has a different view. Basically, a compromise has now been made. At least we've made a start now. Let's see what happens in the future," explains the Frenchman.
Cyril Abiteboul advocated the introduction of a salary ceiling for the drivers last month. Vasseur doesn't see that as something impossible, but he is cautious in his choice of words. "It would be a logistic step. It is difficult to maintain a salary ceiling for the teams, but not for the drivers. But we have to find the right balance. Honestly, the majority of teams do not necessarily have to have a salary cap immediately."
Alfa Romeo does see a future in salary cap
When asked by the German medium whether it would be an option to include drivers' salaries in the current budget cap (now, salary costs and engines are not yet included), Vasseur replies: "That could be an option. The advantage would be that the teams would then invest more in young drivers. That would be good for the junior categories and the global pyramid of motor sport. It would make sense, I think. But we have to take one step at a time. First, everything has to work," concludes the 52-year-old top man.