In 2021, the cost cap was not a huge concern for teams due to the frozen regulations for that season, meaning fewer in-season developments and a focus on 2022.

Now that the 2022 F1 season has started, with brand-new cars that are almost entirely different to anything the sport has used before, the development and learning curves for the engineers and team members takes an exponential shape.

But to apply those learnings and developments into the car, teams now have to think about how to spend their money wisely not to go over the cost limit.

This is especially relevant for the big teams who used to operate at a higher budget before 2021, and could possibly find a breach in the new financial regulations, if the policing is not strict – and this a concern for Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto:

"[The budget cap] will influence the rate of development. I think that is a key element and my concern is that we need to make sure that we've got the right policing on that because it can be, let me say, a game-changer in the fight for developments,” said Binotto.

Team Principal at Red Bull, Christian Horner has explained how the teams have to be more careful of their spending, choosing strategically and wisely where to invest the most, especially given “pretty much every team” is running close to the $140 million cap:

"I think pretty much every team is pretty close to the limit this year. It's very aggressive so you have to be very strategic in how you apply your funds to developments.

"I think rather than just running as fast as you can and getting as much performance from the car, you've got to be much more selective in what you chose, based on its cost. So it drives efficiency."

And not only team members are worried about the impact of the cost cap, as Formula 1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicalli has said he has two main concerns regarding the cost limit ahead of the 2022 season, but is confident in the FIA “equipping itself” to regulate better on the financial ground:

"The first is that of control, because if those who have to regulate miss something, the whole system collapses," he said. "Today, it is not enough to check only the technical side, but a strict financial control is also needed, and for this reason the FIA is equipping itself to be even more robust in its role as guarantor.”

As the world still suffers with consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflicts around the globe, inflation and logistics costs are something that has to be considered, in order to give teams the “same possibilities”:

"The second point relates to some variables that were difficult to predict at the time of the launch of the financial regulations.

"Inflation is going in an unforeseeable direction, and transportation costs have also gone up in recent weeks in a way that is difficult to predict.

"There will be discussions to find the right solutions, but always keeping at the centre the principle that we must guarantee everyone the same possibilities,” he concluded.