FIA Sporting Code tweak could stop Ferrari blocking lower budget cap

The FIA has altered its Sporting Code which may stop Ferrari from halting the introduction of a lowered budget cap for 2021.

Earlier this week, Ferrari spoke out against proposals of further reducing the $175 million budget next year amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

McLaren team principal Zak Brown responded to the comments, stating that F1's future is very much at risk if change isn't made in the short term.

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With fears over the future of some of the smaller teams ramping up, the FIA has revised a section of its sporting code that will allow the FIA to make changes with majority support from F1 teams for 2021, rather than securing unanimous agreement.

A statement from the FIA reads: “The safeguard clause will overcome the current requirement to obtain the unanimous agreement of all competitors to amend regulations within an individual FIA championship, cup, etc., allowing the FIA, under certain exceptional circumstances, to modify regulations with a shorter notice period and with the agreement of the majority of the competitors properly entered for the FIA championship, cup, etc. concerned.

Article 18.2.4 of the Sporting Code now states: “Shorter notice periods than those mentioned above may be applied, provided that the unanimous agreement of all Competitors properly entered for the Championship, cup, trophy, challenge or series concerned is obtained.

“However, in exceptional circumstances, and if the FIA considers that the change in question is essential for the safeguarding of the Championship, cup, trophy, challenge or series concerned, the agreement of the majority of the Competitors properly entered shall suffice.”

Ferrari has insisted that it is opposed to reducing the budget cap to below $145 million, while Brown affirms that in order to secure the future of teams, the cap must be slashed to as low as $100 million.

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