F1 paddock split on new rule that will affect every team, with meeting date decided
The 2026 F1 season is wrapping up soon, with just three more Grand Prix races left to go in Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Kimi Antonelli has already been named Drivers’ Champion, and his team, Mercedes, took home the Constructors’ title. Now, everyone’s excitedly looking ahead to next season, hoping to be in the running for these big prizes.
But before teams focus on the future, they need to sort out a new rule about the cost cap. Right now, people in the F1 world are divided on whether this new rule should be approved.
There might be big changes coming to the cost cap rules because the Formula 1 Commission will soon discuss a proposal for an “ADUO for teams.” Williams’ team boss, James Vowles, suggested a way to help smaller teams spend a bit more to catch up with the bigger teams. He calls it a “spending catch-up mechanism,” designed to get teams out of what he calls a “cost cap trap.”
Basically, this idea would let teams that finish lower in the standings spend more money to try and close the gap to the top teams. Vowles hoped enough teams would support this plan so it could become official next year, but it needs votes from the FIA, FOM, and at least six of the eleven teams.
Right now, it looks like only Cadillac, Alpine, Aston Martin, and Audi are on board. Surprisingly, Haas and Racing Bulls aren’t backing it. Haas isn’t close to the current spending limit, so they don’t feel the need for extra funds.
The big teams like Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull, and Mercedes don’t seem likely to support the “ADUO for teams” idea since it could help their rivals get closer to them. Still, they might want some changes to the cost cap because they think it could be more competitive, especially when it comes to keeping top engineers.
Many are talking about how the cost cap might be affecting teams’ ability to keep the best staff in F1. So, there’s a growing discussion about changing the rules to separate spending on parts from spending on people. Right now, only an organization’s top three highest-paid staff members don’t count towards the cost cap.
The discussion is heating up, and it’ll be interesting to see what changes come next!