Where once those outfits with the most money could simply write a big fat cheque to spend their way to bigger and better developments, now that is no longer the case.
Primarily, the arrival of a cost cap in F1 means that teams are strictly limited in what they can spend.
For top manufacturer outfits, it is a battle to keep within the current $140 million spending limit that has been imposed.
But, on top of the financial ceiling, another key change has been the introduction of aerodynamic testing restrictions.
Teams have been limited on how much they can run windtunnels, and how much CFD work they can do, to try to ensure that all teams have similar opportunities.
Beyond that, there is also a sliding scale handicap system in place – where the more successful you are in the world championship then the more restricted you are in what you can do in the windtunnel or with your computer simulations.
The combined impact of all these rules should deliver opportunity to the smaller…
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