Ferrari vice-chairman Piero Ferrari believes Formula 1’s mandatory cost cap, first introduced in 2021, has hampered the Scuderia’s ability to fight its way back to the top of the sport.
Speaking as Ferrari endures another challenging season, the 80-year-old son of Enzo Ferrari reflected on the limits the budget cap has placed on the Italian marque’s pursuit of success.
The legendary team has not won a Drivers’ Championship since 2007 or a Constructors’ crown since 2008. And despite the high-profile arrival of Lewis Hamilton in 2025, Ferrari has yet to win a race this year, while Charles Leclerc has delivered to the team all of its five podiums.
Once able to leverage unmatched financial resources to outspend rivals, Ferrari now finds itself constrained by the cost cap, which was designed to level the playing field between the grid’s richest and smallest teams.
For Piero Ferrari, that shift has made it harder to break free from a downturn in form.
No Money to Bridge the Gaps
“I think it’s a matter of cycles,” Piero Ferrari told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “F1 has always worked this way, and when you start a negative cycle, you don’t know when you’ll hit rock bottom.
“Today, it’s very complicated because you can’t spend more money to bridge the gaps, given the budget cap restrictions.
“You need to string together a series of winning factors to change course.”
©Ferrari
While voicing frustration at Ferrari’s limitations under the cost cap, Ferrari also expressed confidence that the team’s downturn will eventually end.
“These are cycles and as such they are destined to end and start over,” he said.
Ferrari’s criticism of the budget cap comes with an important caveat: the same restrictions apply to every team. If Formula 1’s spending limits were removed, it is just as likely that financially powerful rivals such as Red Bull or Mercedes would also spend their way to greater dominance.
In that sense, the regulations have not disadvantaged Ferrari uniquely, but have instead neutralized the spending wars of previous decades.
Ferrari Spirit Still Burning Bright
Even with the frustrations of recent seasons, Piero Ferrari was quick to highlight the enduring passion and unity within the Scuderia. Asked if the team still carried the same spirit that defined its creation in 1929, he pointed to the loyalty of Ferrari’s workforce.
“I think so,” he said. “The spirit is the same, just look at the employees: there’s a very strong sense of belonging.
“In Maranello, you see them still wearing their uniforms after work because being part of Ferrari is something of great value to those who work there.”
For Ferrari, the wait for another golden era has stretched on far longer than the team or its fans would have hoped.
But as the cost cap reshapes the sport’s competitive landscape, the Scuderia remains confident that its next winning cycle is a matter not of if, but when.
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