It was perhaps inevitable therefore that with the implementation of the FIA financial regulations the focus would move towards how closely those new rules are being followed.
The top teams are all well aware how tight their own budgets are this year, and they know how carefully they have to control funds spent on development. They now have to pace themselves over the season to make the best possible use of their limited resources to introduce upgrades that work, in effect getting the biggest bang for their buck.
Ferrari’s strategy has been to make the most of its initial car package, while holding back on introducing significant updates until this weekend’s race in Barcelona. Meanwhile the team has watched the progress made by rivals Red Bull with some interest. In the immediate aftermath of the Miami Grand Prix team principal Mattia Binotto hinted that Ferrari has some questions about how that progress is being made within the current constraints.
“It’s true that Red Bull improved their car,” he said. “Since the very start of the season they introduced upgrades, and today if I look at the last two races, maybe they got a couple of tenths per lap faster to us.
“I hope, because there is as well a budget cap, that at some stage Red Bull will stop development, otherwise I will not understand how they can do that.”
In the context of further questioning about the relative form of the two teams, he added: “If there is a concern it’s how much they are developing considering the budget cap. That’s certainly a concern we have got. But more than a concern, as I said maybe it is a hope, because at some stage they will need to stop…”
He wasn’t finished there. In response to a question about Ferrari’s own plans, he said: “We do not have the money to spend for upgrades at each single race. I think it is as simple as that. Not because of an inability, but because of the budget cap.
“So we need somehow to try to focus development on when we…
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