P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes that McLaren would have been challenged more during the 2025 F1 season without a cost cap in place.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes McLaren would have faced greater challenges in the 2025 Formula 1 season without a cost cap in place, enforced by the FIA and FOM in 2021 to level the playing field among teams. Prior to the cost cap, teams with higher budgets, like Mercedes, dominated the sport.
The cost cap initially restricted teams to a $145 million outlay, later reduced to $135 million, allowing financially smaller teams such as McLaren to compete with the traditionally dominant teams.
With the budget cap constraining development, Mercedes struggled to rectify design flaws from the ground effects era, hindering their performance.
Wolff speculated that if not for the cost cap, Mercedes might have closed the performance gap with McLaren, which ultimately won the 2025 Constructors’ title ahead of schedule.
McLaren’s success was attributed to their development superiority within the constraints of the cost cap and F1 regulations, marking a significant achievement for the team in their resurgence.
