’No top team’ within 2022 budget cap - Marko

The budget cap has become a big problem amid surging global inflation, according to Dr Helmut Marko.

The 78-year-old top Red Bull official backed the team’s boss Christian Horner who left Barcelona warning that only a few teams could be left standing with enough funds to actually finish the 2022 season.

"None of the three top teams are currently within the budget limit," Marko told Sport1.

Teams are limited to spending $140 million this year - $5 million less than last year despite surging inflation and freight costs due to the unstable global situation.

Some teams, vocally led by Red Bull, are calling for an urgent budget cap adjustment to compensate.

Alpine, however, is not among them.

"Covid-19 obviously affected us, but not now," CEO Laurent Rossi told El Mundo Dportivo. "Alpine is somewhat immune for now.

"Luca de Meo started the recovery plan which is fixing a lot of mistakes made in the past - a past that would have made a crisis like this very difficult for us."

But for the top teams like Red Bull whose sole objective in Formula 1 is to win, Marko insists there is indeed a risk that the $140 million will soon be spent.

"The transport costs have risen by 60 percent in some cases, as have the material costs, and to an immense extent," he said. "That’s just the reality.

"There have already been talks about a certain inflation adjustment," added Marko. "First the pandemic, then the war - these are events that were not foreseeable and these rates of inflation and growth are not normal either.

"When normality returns, we will be able to act normally again within the budget limit."

Marko was also asked about Ferrari’s pursuit of Red Bull both in relation to car development spending and the fuel temperature story in Barcelona.

"Yes, Ferrari have their sights set on us," Marko told Blick newspaper. "But that’s ok."