ZANDVOORT – Mercedes team principal and part-owner, Toto Wolff, admitted the team “haven’t got the money” to add further upgrades than are already planned to react to rivals’ developments, due to budget cap constraints.
Formula 1 teams are capped at a $215million [£157.6m] budget ceiling through the course of the year, with the vast majority of team expenses having to come within that figure.
Further Mercedes upgrades hindered by cost cap limitations – Wolff
Mercedes started the season as the dominant force on the grid, having won eight of the first 10 races of the season and built up big leads in both championships.
Ferrari remained hot on the team’s heels, and McLaren has since added upgrades to muscle its way into the fight at the front, with Lando Norris having taken victory in Budapest and Zandvoort either side of the summer break.
While Ferrari has been bringing a series of incremental upgrades at most races this year, McLaren’s update package in Hungary helped bring it closer to its rivals’ pace.
Mercedes, meanwhile, flew out of the blocks and introduced one notable upgrade package in Canada, with other minor updates having taken place by comparison to those around them.
With that $215m figure governing all teams on the grid, with only costs like health and safety-related expenses, driver salaries and team catering sitting outside its remit, teams have to budget within their means.
Wolff admitted the team cannot go all-out in its upgrades due to these constraints, with others instead opting to bring larger update packages to make their season’s performance as cost-effective as possible.
“We haven’t got the money to put developments on the car,” Wolff told PlanetF1.com and accredited media in Zandvoort.
“I said it before that we are trying to evenly split that through the season based on our calculations of when we can bring the biggest updates and optimising the championship points.
“We just can’t do what we can do, and that’s why it is a development race.
“If you bring an upgrade, each of the top teams will have a couple of tenths in it at least, and that’s what you lose.
“So, the ride has been a bit tougher than at the beginning of the year.”
More analysis from the Dutch Grand Prix
Dutch GP Conclusions: No tears for Zandvoort, Verstappen power play, Lawson makes his case
McLaren strategy genius as Lando Norris Dutch GP telemetry data emerges
Asked if he believes McLaren and Ferrari have budget for the remainder of the year, he added: “Well, you will see how towards the end of the year whether they are going to be able to deploy as much stuff onto the car as they do now.
“Someone might have a different strategy in spending more at the beginning and in the middle of the year and towards the end.
“Did we spend much at the beginning in the initial development? I don’t think so. I just think we’re an organisation and we have a certain size and infrastructure.
“In that respect, we had a very quick car, we left between 50 to 100 points on the table with reliability issues, that would have given us more of a gap than we have today.
“Other than that, we are continuing to execute what the plan was and what the financial realities mean for us.”
Mercedes scored a double podium in the Dutch Grand Prix, with Kimi Antonelli holding a 59-point lead at the top of the Drivers’ standings, while Mercedes sits 87 points clear of Ferrari on the Constructors’ table.
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.
You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!
Read next: Kimi Antonelli braced for Italian GP penalty with George Russell ‘discussions ongoing’
Originally published by Planet F1 —
Read Original Article