Williams working for changes in budget cap as James Vowles wants infrastructure investment excluded from the cap

Williams and several other midfield teams are currently discussing with they can use the budget cap over a season with F1 and the FIA.

Even after the budget cap, there are certain teams that are struggling to expand simply because of the expenses that are included in the budget cap. As of now, the infrastructure of every team that overall improves its performance over a season comes under the cost cap.

Williams team principal James Vowles has addressed how certain departments of the team are around 20 years behind in overall development, simply due to a lack of investment in those areas. He said, as quoted by formu1a.uno:

“Williams is about 20 years behind schedule in some areas. And I’m not surprised, because, in all these years, there has been a lack of investments to be able to update the structures, which are thus left out of date."

Alpine team boss Otmar Szafnauer also voiced his opinion on the matter and has urged the governing body to revise the budget cap accordingly.

Though the infrastructure does not include entire factories or wind tunnels, several smaller aspects of these departments that affect performance must be included in the cost cap. The teams that already established these departments before the cost cap regulation came into effect are able to maintain a massive advantage over the teams that did not.

Williams, along with several other backmarker and midfield teams, will be having discussions with the FIA to introduce changes to the financial regulation in the new Concorde Agreement.

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James Vowles shares realistic timeline for Williams to become a midfield team

Williams is clearly struggling in the 2023 F1 season; they have only bagged seven constructors' championship points so far this year and are unable to show pace on most circuits. Though they had a good Canadian GP with Alex Albon finishing seventh, the British team still has a long way to go.

Speaking to Speedcafe, James Vowles clarified that the team will take multiple years to break into the midfield battle simply because the team needs one or two years to improve many areas. He said:

“The car we have here is a reflection of the work of the winter, the work of last year, not a reflection of the steps that we need to move forward with."

"I don’t think my timeline has changed, but to completely lay it out, it’s not in one year or two years that I think we’re going to put ourselves onto a track where we’re really properly into the midfield, it’s multiple years. Because simply the infrastructure alone, just building that, will be 18 months from today if we broke ground now.”

Williams is currently ninth in the constructors' championship with seven points, currently fighting for seventh place with Alfa Romeo and Haas.