“Put 6 Wheels on the Car”: Zak Brown Makes a Mockery of F1’s Radical $135Mn Budget Cap

In the ever-evolving world of Formula 1, McLaren boss Zak Brown is advocating for a radical change that could see teams putting six wheels on their cars, among other innovations. Brown’s call for a shake-up comes in the context of the sport’s recent introduction of a $135 million budget cap, aimed at leveling the playing field and preventing teams from overspending. However, Brown believes that with the implementation of the budget cap, regulations governing testing should be relaxed, allowing teams the freedom to decide where they allocate their resources.

Under the current rules, Formula 1 teams face severe restrictions on the number of on-track tests they can conduct. These limitations include two promotional events, two demonstration events, and Pirelli-organized tire tests. The promotional events are limited to two runs of 100km each, while demonstration events are even shorter at 15km per session. Although the number of Pirelli tire tests was set to increase to 40 for 2024, it is still significantly lower than what teams were allowed in the past.

Zak Brown’s revolutionary thoughts

The original purpose of restricting testing was to prevent larger teams from gaining an unfair advantage by conducting numerous test runs compared to their competitors. However, with the introduction of the cost cap era, Zak Brown argues that teams are restricted in a different manner, and therefore, they should be granted more flexibility in deciding where to allocate their budgets.

“Since we have the budget cap, I’d like to see the regulations open up and not be so restrictive because we have a cap,” Brown expressed on the Track Limits podcast. “If you want to go test instead of being in a wind tunnel, go test, If you want to do more wind tunnel time, do more wind tunnel time. If you want to put six wheels on the car, put six wheels on the car.” Ironically, we did have six-wheeled cars in the 1976 F1 season, which witnessed varying degrees of success. However, the FIA soon outlawed the concept after a couple of seasons of failed car concepts, as the design changes in the 1977 season made them uncompetitive.

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Brown’s statement reflects his belief that the cost cap serves as a deterrent against overspending, allowing teams the freedom to explore innovative ideas. He suggests that by relaxing testing regulations, Formula 1 could witness a more diverse grid with teams experimenting and developing their cars in unique ways. This is not the first time he has voiced these opinions either.

Brown has previously highlighted the need for more freedom

Earlier, In September, he highlighted that testing rules were a significant factor contributing to the similarity in the current grid’s appearance. Brown acknowledged the importance of the cost cap but emphasized that more freedom in the regulations could lead to a more exciting and diverse grid.

“I would like to see some more testing. With the cost cap now, my general view is to give us a little bit more freedom because we’re capped out on what we can spend,” Brown explained. “Maybe if the rules weren’t so prescriptive, you might see some different-looking cars. If you’ve got a cost cap, I think you can then free up some of the rules and let people develop how they want to develop because we’re all capped by how much you can spend.”

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However, whether this would happen in reality is another ball game altogether. As of now, it seems like only the McLaren boss is lobbying for this. However, if the sport does get stale, we might see something to shake things up by the next decade!