“I think the cap has been outstanding for the sport” - McLaren chief Zak Brown talks about the positive impact of F1 cost cap

McLaren CEO Zak Brown has praised the cost cap in F1 and believes it has changed the dynamics of the F1 grid.

The cost cap was primarily implemented to stop top teams from pouring excess amounts of money into R&D to create large performance gaps between them and the rest of the field. Its main goal was to equalize expenditure and eventually bring the grid closer, which Brown feels it has done.

Speaking to Autosport, McLaren's boss initially claimed that the cost cap was not perfect and had a few loopholes. He gave the example of TD45, which is a technical directive that states that any non-F1 projects that are run by the teams will also come under the cost cap budget. However, he expects the rule to have loopholes, particularly because of how new it is to F1.

“I think the cap has been outstanding for the sport. It’s not yet perfect but I don’t think that something that is so young wasn’t going to have some loopholes which the FIA are closing – such as TD45,” Brown said.

Brown further claimed that the cost cap rule has done its job in bringing the F1 grid closer and making it more competitive. He shared how he could sense a threat from every single team in a Q3 qualifying session, which proves that the field is much closer than before.

“I think the budget cap has had the intended consequences of making the field much more competitive. I can tell you from sitting on the pitwall, there’s no team that we don’t think – when we’re looking at times – is a threat to get into Q3. That’s the benefit of the budget cap,” he said.

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Lando Norris feels McLaren could win races in 2024

McLaren turned their season around in 2023 after bringing a major upgrade package. While they bagged multiple podiums, they were still unable to win a race.

However, Lando Norris believes his team can start winning races in 2024. Speaking with Motorsport.com, he said:

"[There were] moments we were close to winning races last year, and a few races we were not miles away from a Red Bull. And, when you think of it, it was the most competitive car ever in F1. So, with the knowledge, if you want to win one race, we are the closest we've ever been since I've been here at McLaren and for many, many years.

"But fighting for a championship is a bigger step. If you asked me, 'Do you think you can win races this year?' I'd probably be more inclined to say yes."

At the end of the 2023 season, McLaren was one of the very few teams who were able to close the gap to Red Bull. Many will thus be eyeing the British team in 2024 as it aims to challenge Red Bull and other top teams on the grid.