According to the Williams deputy team principal, Formula One is in dire need of cost regulations. If nothing is done Claire Williams warns that the category will cause “serious damage” to itself.
Following the May 1st meeting among teams, Claire Williams has come forward to warn Formula 1 of the risks it is exposing itself to if nothing is done about cost cuts.
The Williams deputy team principal told Autosport that F1 risks causing “serious damage” to itself and that something needs to be done urgently.
According to her, the current situation is “critical”. “This conversation has been going on for so long now and we don’t seem to have got anywhere, which is really disappointing” she said.
Pointing out to some teams’ reluctance towards cost caps, Williams told Autosport that “we (the teams) all have a responsibility to protect our sport – but also protect the teams who have been racing in F1 for a very long time”
She recognized some teams will never agree to a cost cap but didn’t describe this solution as the only one.
“”So what is the next thing we can do? Well that is looking at the technical and sporting regulations to see if we can drive down costs through those, and that piece of work is still going on” she expressed.
She alluded to the great lot of work that still needs to be done about cost regulations, saying “I don’t think we have reached an answer on that and it takes a lot of diligence, without it affecting the DNA of the sport”.
She added “Williams is working really hard to make sure that we keep pushing and driving the conversation, coming up with proposals that will save costs in F1. But they have to be significant” while also reminding every team in the paddock that it is their duty to drive Formula 1 into that direction “We all have duties as the Strategy Group, F1 Commission or FIA to try to bring costs down in F1, as it is not just sustainable.”
