(Motorsport) Formula 1’s most successful team Scuderia Ferrari have questioned the governing body’s ability to police the sport's budget cap effectively. This comes after Red Bull Racing is set to introduce a new chassis which is reportedly 4kg lighter than its existing one which will undoubtedly help Max Verstappen secure his second World Championship title. The target for this upgrade is the Singapore Grand Prix which is expected to be held in three races time and an upgrade of this nature could reduce 0.14 seconds in lap times, giving Red Bull a significant advantage in the title race.

Speaking about the budget cap, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said the cap was "a very green regulation" and “the number of people in the FIA monitoring it is very little. It has to improve for the future because it would be really bad if somehow a championship was dictated by financial regulation and not technical or sporting. I cannot know what they are doing, if they have a [lighter] chassis or not, but the budget cap is always a concern. 

“The financial regulations can make differences between teams in the way they are interpreting and somehow executing it. And we know we need a very strong FIA to make sure they are properly focusing, otherwise the regulations will not be fair and equitable. Ferrari would never be capable of introducing a lightweight chassis or a different chassis through a season simply [because of the] budget cap and I would be very surprised if a team is capable of doing it. And if they are, it is back to the regulation itself – is it fair enough, is it equitable enough, is the policing sufficient?"

When asked about the FIA’s budget cap procedures, a spokesperson said “The FIA is committed to robust monitoring processes and will continue to strengthen, develop and refine all areas of its activities in this new era of Formula 1." Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said: "We wouldn't be able to introduce a chassis at that stage of the season. We are massively overweight, which we haven't been able to sort out because we are trying parts on the car in order to solve our various issues, so can't afford that, full stop. So what was aimed for by introducing the cost cap absolutely hit the target. It is what they wanted to achieve. The big teams can't just throw money at it." 

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