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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has dismissed concerns raised by Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto about FIA policing the 2022 F1 season budget cap. Binotto recently raised questioned how Red Bull was bringing a new and improved chassis in the middle of the season without going over the budget cap.
He expressed doubts over whether the FIA was strictly monitoring some teams over their financial spending. Speaking on the matter, the Mercedes boss said:
"I have no doubt in the FIA’s new regime that they will not police robustly and they will be policing to what the governance says and the financial budget cap regulations is as important as sporting and technical, so let’s see what the outcome is.
He continued:
"I have confidence in the people, I have confidence in the system, I have confidence in the governance."
Wolff also said that it would be impossible for Mercedes to bring a new and upgraded chassis before the end of the season without going over the budget cap. He still puts his complete faith in the system and trusts that the right call will be made regarding the Red Bull situation.
The budget cap was introduced in the 2021 season to limit the disparity between teams and not allowing some teams with stronger financial backgrounds to run away with the championship.
Mercedes looking to improve after a disappointing year
Coming into the Italian GP, the team are optimistic about their chances of a first win of the season with recent improvements seen in the Dutch GP. They are currently third in the constructors' championship, 30 points behind Ferrari.
Wolff had previously expressed that the W13 was simply not good enough to compete against the powerful Red Bull and Ferrari this year. He said:
"This time, for me, feels a little bit like 2013, where we just weren't up to the speed with the Red Bull, and probably also not with the Ferrari, but we kept fighting, and this is how I feel at the moment. We need to fight. It is certainly totally unacceptable where we are on performance. We're third on the road, sometimes not, even, like today."
It has been a difficult season for Mercedes. After winning the constructors' championship last year and placing second in the drivers' championship, they could not bring a competitive car this season.
The W13 suffered from heavy porpoising in the first half of the season. The drivers were unable to perform on qualifying days but they salvaged the weekend during race days, with both drivers only retiring once and placing in the podium places six times each.
