Formula 1 is reportedly set to suspend the windtunnel development of the teams' 2022 cars until February 2021 as part of a series of new measures destined to further compress costs this year.
The global coronavirus crisis has erected a major roadblock in front of F1, wiping out the first part of the 2020 season, an impairment that will deprive teams of significant revenue this year, even if several postponed races are re-instated.
In order to deal with the financial shortfall, the sport's chiefs and the FIA have delayed F1's regulation overhaul by a year, while teams have agreed to use their current 2020 chassis again in 2021, thus eliminating design development costs for the year.
However, in a bid to further reduce costs and help the sport's midfield outfits bottom line, additional components are also in line for a development halt.
According to a report from Germany's Auto Motor und Sport, the power unit, gearbox, wheel hubs and various suspension elements as well as radiators and cooling elements, and specific aerodynamic areas of the 2021car have been earmarked for a freeze.
But AMUS is also reporting that F1 will enforce a temporary ban on windtunnel work for the remainder of the year regarding the teams' 2022 designs to prevent costly parallel development.
What's more, F1 and the FIA are allegedly also keen on taking advantage of the current crisis to reset the sport's costs by lowering even further next year's budget cap, currently set at $175 million.
The survival of F1's weakest teams might depend on it.
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