McLaren CEO Takes a Cheeky Dig at Ferrari Boss Binotto, Reminding Him of the FIA Controversy

McLaren CEO Zak Brown took a cheeky dig at Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto over the latter’s views on the budget cap. Binotto is currently under fire from several portions of the F1 world and media over his remarks on the ongoing cost cap. When speaking about Ferrari’s stance on the issue, Zak reminded Mattia about Ferrari’s controversial settlement with the FIA.

Brown takes a shot at Ferrari

For the unaware, Ferrari was light years ahead of the competition when it came to sheer pace in the second half of 2019.

However, teams suspected some foul play in Ferrari’s engine and sought clarification with the FIA over the engine’s legality. The FIA’s investigation coincided with Ferrari losing some of its trademarked straight-line speed. This led to many questioning the Italian team. Earlier this year, the Ferrari engine issue became a full-blown controversy that is yet to be resolved.

Several teams are threatening legal action against the Scuderia and the FIA over the secrecy of the investigation. Moreover, Teams are demanding a transparent and more conclusive report from the FIA. With Ferrari now facing off against several teams over the 2021 budget cap, Brown criticized Binotto over Ferrari’s refusal to budge.

“Along the line of ethics, I think it would be great if Mattia would share with us … what the details were behind the secret agreement that they came to”

“I think everyone in this sport has a right to be able to be competitive,”

“[I am] absolutely not hiding from the fact that part of this process is that people want to be in F1 to be able to compete, to have a chance to win”

Binotto’s suggestion is to have an extended discussion over the issue and not implement hasty decisions. The Italian believes a reduced cap would result in layoffs at the team’s factory. Furthermore, Binotto is pushing for 2 tier budget cap in the sport from 2021.

Mattia believes customer teams and engine suppliers must have separate financial ceilings over differing development costs. While his argument is logical, separate caps would defeat the purpose of a budget cap in the first place.

F1 has a difficult headache in trying to reach a compromise between the top teams and the midfield.