P1racenews AI automatic summary:
George Russell’s dream of collecting Formula 1 cars has been dashed by the current cost cap regulations.
George Russell revealed that his dream of collecting Formula 1 cars has been dashed by the FIA’s strict cost cap rules, limiting the number of monocoques produced. The skyrocketing prices of old F1 cars from the ’90s, like Schumacher’s Benetton and Senna’s McLaren, being auctioned for millions, have become a familiar trend in the market. Despite the alluring history, modern F1 cars are seldom seen off the track or in private collections due to limited monocoque availability post-season. Teams restrict monocoque production to comply with the budget cap, with Mercedes now churning out only four a year compared to the 15 to 20 pre-cap era. Among recent recipients, Carlos Sainz received his 2022 SF-75 from Ferrari as a farewell gift, showcasing the scarcity of contemporary F1 cars outside racing stables. Russell expressed his desire to build his own F1 car collection but lamented the limited production under the current budget restraints, reminiscing the era when teams manufactured a surplus of chassis during unrestricted testing.
