Formula 1 is a glorious sport where man met machine in a cataclysm of fuel and noise. This epic saga began in 1950 with the creation of the FIA and the prestigious driver’s championship. Formula 1 has evolved effortlessly through the decades with technical innovation at the cornerstone of every season. The title being handed between the teams which had the greatest performance on track and in the garage. When you look back on pasts winner the diversity is astounding. But in recent days it has become a bout of how big your pockets are. Is money synonymous with winning? Is this why modern day F1 has condensed into a battle of just three teams?

To understand this issue, we must look at the 2019 F1 season. Throughout the season, three titans were defined in Mercedes, Ferrari, and Red Bull. Topping the constructors title in that order with 751 points, 504 and 417 respectively. A 600-point deficit between 1st and 4th place the equivalent of 24 race wins. This chasm was created by the vastly different budgets these teams had from the rest of the field. In this case, the leading teams had budgets far above the rest of the pack with 484 million, 463 million and 445 million that being in the order of ranking. With 4th place having a ‘meagre’ 272 million. Are these bottomless riches required to win?

An issue with such a divide in budget is that is squanders the talent of drivers without the dominant hardware as there is little to no room for competition. For example, George Russell a great driver, an F2 champion, who was trapped at Williams who in recent years have faded into the back of the pack. In the 2020 season he received his golden ticket when he was given a seat by Mercedes due to Lewis Hamilton’s Covid complications at the Sakhir grand prix. He pulled off a magnificent drive fighting from 5th to take the lead with an unlucky puncture costing him the chance of winning the race altogether. This is showing the great advantage of being in a bigger team as Russell who had not come close to a top 5 finish with Williams nearly saw gold with Mercedes.

On the other hand, putting their dominance down to just their budget undermine the work of the people who created such a technical masterpiece. Surely that isn’t fair either. We take Mercedes a team who we know has the financial backing and pair it with innovative engineers. Thus in 2020 the DAS system was made. It was a mechanical system that changed the toe angle of the car which made it easier to keep temperature in the tires and granted better on track performance due to the versatility at your fingertips. This revolutionary technology cannot be completely overlooked just because the team has the largest budget.

This begs the question was it the immense skill of engineers which brought the cash flow or was it the money which led to the innovation? What came first the chicken or the egg? An exceptional case in this conundrum is Brawn GP in the 2009 F1 season. The team spearheaded by Ross Brawn as team principal, this was a man who won 6 previous constructors title and was part Michael Schumacher’s reign of terror from 2000-2004. Not to mention he is an engineering mastermind. Brawn chose Rubens Barichello and Jenson Button both drivers with a wealth of experience. Nevertheless, they were a rookie team coming into 2009 with a third of the budget of teams like Maclaren. But their story is the stuff of fairy tales. Out the gates, Jenson Button takes the first race of the season and goes on to take 5 more with Barichello getting 2 wins himself. They power through the season foot firmly on the necks of the top teams they were trumping. Jenson Button went on to win the championship against the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso, 2 world champions in themselves and the greatest rookie prospect the sport had seen at that time. Yes, this was a time when pure skill and hard work prevailed, but sadly a majority of the time money comes first.

This shows why the F1's 2021 cost cap is imperative to top the tyrannical domination of these three teams and make F1 a fairer sport giving drivers equal opportunity to shine. Teams should take pride in the technical merit that puts them ahead of others whilst being on a level playing field. After all, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” -Benjamin Franklin.