F1 cost cap needs to be a joint Liberty, FIA solution – Brown

McLaren executive director Zak Brown says if Formula 1 can install a cost cap it must be a joint effort between both Liberty Media and the FIA to ensure the system is regulated and fair for all teams.

Brown has been a firm backer of introducing a cost cap in F1 despite accepting McLaren may need to slim back its budget and operations in the sport if the rumoured $150m per season limit came in. The McLaren boss says the biggest teams in F1 – Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull – have the largest-ever resource budget in the history of the sport and has urged action to stop costs spiralling up.

Brown believes any proposed F1 cost cutting measures needs to be a joint venture set out by the commercial rights holders Liberty with regulation and governance provided by the FIA.

“I think some of the budgets here in pit lane are some of the largest that there’s ever been in Formula 1,” Brown said. “I think between the FIA and Liberty, it feels to me like cost cap and cost containment should be a commercial issue in which the FIA regulate it and governs it. I think that it potentially needs better alignment between Liberty and the FIA.”

“I’ve heard that their support of cost cap and cost containment but we don’t really have anything definitive on the table, which I think we are all asking for.

“Every other business in this day and age as figured out to make their business more efficient, more cost effective and deliver more value both to the racing teams to create franchise value and also deliver a better product for the racing fans. It needs to be addressed, it needs to be on a bit of a glide path as potentially the numbers they’re talking about will impact the top four or five teams.”