Formula 1 shouldn’t adjust cost cap for crashes - Steiner

F1’s new budget cap of $145 million has come under increased scrutiny after Red Bull saw its cars crash out of the last two races. 

Max Verstappen was taken out by Lewis Hamilton on the first lap of the British Grand Prix, while Valtteri Bottas hit the back of Lando Norris on the run to Turn 1, propelling the McLaren driver into the Red Bull pair.

After each race, Christian Horner vented his frustration about how much these incidents are putting the team under strain financially.

“It is hugely frustrating and obviously again brutal under the cost cap,” Horner said in Hungary. “It reaffirms that when you have an incident that isn’t yours, you’re paying a significant price for that.

“That’s something that isn’t budgeted for and is something that I think does need to be looked at in greater detail by the FIA.”

Steiner disagrees with Horner’s opinion.

“No. I think we need to live with that, we need to budget for this,” Steiner added. “We need to be flexible enough.

“That is good management because then all of a sudden if we have fewer crashes, do we bring it down again so we adjust it for how many crashes we have got?

“I think it is part of racing and will be part of how much risk you take in a race and whatever you do.

“So I think it is part of racing the crashes. You cannot adjust the budget or regulation on how many crashes you have got because for me, it doesn’t feel like any change is needed on this one.”