Haas boss slams special F1 budget rule for Audi

The boss of F1’s smallest team, Haas, has hit out at plans to allow Audi-owned Sauber to spend more than its rivals under the budget cap.

A month ago, it emerged that because wage bills and the cost of living are higher in Switzerland compared to the UK and Italy, Audi should be permitted to spend more.

Some of the other nine teams are predictably unhappy, but because the 2026 Concorde Agreement is not yet agreed or signed, the FIA is free to design the Audi-specific provision.

"Otherwise, it would be like trying to form a democracy out of nine wolves and one sheep," said the FIA’s single seater boss Nikolas Tombazis recently.

The team boss who is most vocal in his opposition to the Audi provision, however, is Ayao Komatsu - boss of Formula 1’s smallest team of all, Haas.

"Why should a team based in Switzerland have an exception?" he is quoted as saying by Ekstra Bladet newspaper in Las Vegas. "You choose where you have your headquarters. And prices are also different between London, Oxford and the north of England, so where is the line?

"I remember when we tried to hire someone from Sauber, but this guy loved the mountains and skiing and didn’t want to move to England," the Japanese added. "That sort of thing also comes into play.

"I think it is very dangerous and very one-dimensional to look at the price of a beer and say that it is more expensive here, so that is why you get an exemption," Komatsu continued.

He also says there are cost of living differences between the UK, where most of the teams are based, and Italy, where Ferrari and Red Bull’s second team RB call home.

"We have facilities in Italy too," Komatsu noted. "Where do you stop? I don’t remember the exact rules, but in Italy there are also some big tax advantages. So do you take that into account as well?

"Unless you look at every single detail, it’s hard to do justice. And is it even possible? I doubt it.

"I don’t want to criticise the FIA too much, but look at what is happening with the sporting rules such ’track limits’ and the like. The more you try to define the details, the more difficult they become to handle and you create new problems.

"I think it’s better to keep things simple," he insisted.