BMW boss keen on F1 budget financial cap

By Alan Baldwin



BMW Sauber would be interested in putting a cap on Formula 1 team budgets but isn't keen on plans to limit the use of wind tunnels.

Team boss Mario Theissen said at the launch of the BMW Sauber F1.08 car: "Cost reduction is desirable, we support that.

"The idea of a budget cap, at a first glance, looks quite attractive. We should at least spend some time on evaluating it and how it would be policed."

F1 governing body said in December that teams would be allowed to use only one wind tunnel each for aerodynamic development purposes and proposed restrictions in other areas

'The idea of a budget cap looks quite attractive'
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Full details of the proposed cost-cutting measures were presented to the 11 team bosses at a meeting in Paris on January 11.

Some top teams have two wind tunnels in constant use while BMW Sauber has committed substantial resources to computational fluid dynamics.

Theissen said of the proposed wind tunnel rules: "If a team decides to spend a lot of money on drivers it should be possible for another to spend a lot of money on a computer or a wind tunnel.

"If you really want to limit the use of expensive tools then start with those that are not common in F1, not with a tool that is already there with every team." - Reuters