Grosjean: F1 cost cap could provide MotoGP-style results

Romain Grosjean says he’s an avid supporter of a Formula 1 cost cap which he hopes could see non-factory teams fight for podiums and wins and wants the sport to follow the recent form trend seen in MotoGP.

After Liberty presented its future vision to all F1 teams and key stakeholders a primary point laid out was the introduction of a yearly team cost cap of a $150 million. While controlling the spiralling costs of competing in F1, the Haas driver feels it can be used as a vital step to allow the smaller teams which receiving minimal to no manufacturer support to establish a similar level of performance to the factory teams like Mercedes and Ferrari.

Grosjean used the example of MotoGP’s relative team parity which sees customer squads competing on equal terms to factory efforts under the current regulations. Independent team LCR Honda’s Cal Crutchlow currently leads the early 2018 MotoGP world championship by three points from Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso while fellow independent Tech3 Yamaha’s Johann Zarco sits in third place.

“I love the idea of cost cap,” Grosjean said. “I’m a fan of MotoGP and if you look at the standings of the riders in MotoGP, Cal Crutchlow is number one, Johan Zarco number three. It’s amazing because every race one can win and it’s mixing a lot.

“When you watch the race you get a surprise. I’d love to see that in Formula One. One race it’s Mercedes, the next one is Ferrari and then Red Bull and Force India and maybe Haas.”

Grosjean feels F1 has previously held a competitive field across the grid which saw seven different winners from the opening seven races in 2012. The French driver has been pleased with the initial plans set out by Liberty and has faith in the 2021 rules shake-up providing the opportunity to close the gap between the top three teams and the current midfield pack.

“Like 2012 when we had seven winners in first seven races,” he said. “I think it’s great for the show when you never know who’s going to win and you want to watch it because it’s exciting until the last lap.”

Grosjean’s comments echo Ross Brawn’s recent urge to nail down 2021 rules to see parity between all F1 teams by reducing the performance deficit between the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull to the rest. Brawn fears none of the F1 midfield teams will be able to reach the podium in 2018 having seen the huge difference in pace on the 2018 grid.