New entrants filling the field

[lkjohnson1950]

As Ali once said, budgets are self correcting. If a team or it's sponsors don't feel they are getting their money's worth, they will reduce or withdraw their support. See Honda run!! If Ferrari can spend $400 million good on them. If McLaren or Brawn can accomplish more with less even better. It is truly none of the FIA's Business unless maybe no one at all enters. I don't think that is likely to happen.

Lonny

[Scott]

Just one small point though, I would expect a teensy bit more engine power from the big budget team. 

Seriously, that brings up a good point.  If the small team is purchasing engines from the big team, then I think a fair rule (as I think it stands today) is that the customer engines are exactly the same spec as the works engines. 

[Steven Roy]

I have argued for years that the major faults with F1 are with its leadership which time will take care of and its technical regs.  A budget cap regardless what Max says is entirely unworkable.  Under the FIA's plans they will complete the audit of the teams accounts two months after the season.  Who wants to see someone win a championship and then lose it two months later because they have spent too much on pencils.  Imagine if one team just ignored the budget ca and spent $100 million too much and lead the championship all year as a result and won it only to lose it 2 or morelikely 4 months later.  They and their sponsors have their names given massive ecposure world wide for a year only for someone who may not have won a race to be declared champion.  You may argue that it is not worth anyone spending the money to do that but it would still be less than sponsors are paying now.

To me they need to write the tech regs in a way that means spending money does not give a massive advantage.  Mandate that all suspension pieces should be round in section and made of a particular metal.  That would save a fortune.  Ban carbon composites for all but chassis and mandate that all bodywork and wings be of a particular metal.  There is a limit to the complexity of shapes that can be made in metal so testing is reduced and every minor bump will not result in thousands of shards of carbon all ober the track.

There are a few simple rules like this that could be put in place that would allow teams to be close to competitive at much reduced budgets.

[Scott]

Might be fewer DNF's too, since the cars would dent instead of explode   

[bo bruce]

the problem with 1 team having a 400 Million budget and another a 40 mil even with equal 'say'.. the ability to produce a competitive car will be vastly different. and there goes the tight grids, and parity that they are currently fairly close with.

not ever team has access to unlimited budgets. sure, i can pull for the underdog, but didn't most people tire of the red car driven by MS grow tired of the lack of competition?

and back in the late 60s early 70s when Can-Am was dominated by the McLarens it totally killed the sport.

there has to be some way to control spending.

[lkjohnson1950]

Sorry, what killed the Can-Am, or at least caused a radical change that lead to it's death was 1200HP of turbopanzer Porsche. When the others realized it would take cubic doillars to beat cubic dollars entries shrunk to almost nil.

Lonny

[bo bruce]

ok, i'll amend interest lost to "my interest lost" due to the dominance of 1 team, but then your point of cubic dollars chasing off, or competition just not showing up reinforces the point i'm  making.

do you want a level playing field with 26 entrants and close racing, or a wide open set of rules and no cost controls and 10 cars racing, with large gaps in the finish? 

i would prefer the former.