F1 spending levels can't continue, warns Tost

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Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost has warned the current level of spending in F1 can't continue, and claims a cost cap wouldn't work are "nonsense".

HRT, Caterham and Marussia have all gone into administration over the past five years in F1, with the latter returning as Manor at the start of 2015. Sauber, Lotus - now Renault - and Force India have all had financial concerns in that time, and Tost says the biggest teams will soon feel costs are unsustainable.

"We need to reduce the costs," Tost said in an interview with Tiroler Tageszeitung. "It shouldn't be that a team spends €450 million a year. On the other hand, we bargain for a few cents when it comes to road cars. Even the manufacturers cannot accept sums like this forever. It's not feasible. We spent way too much money on F1."

And Tost says a cost cap is the best way to bring about immediate change, insisting it would be easy for governing body the FIA to police such a limit.

"Give each team, for example, €150 million with the FIA watching over it. The big teams will cry foul that there is no way to control costs but this is nonsense. Over at Toro Rosso, I know how much each screw costs.

"Many claim you cannot control development - nonsense as well. If somebody didn't want to present their expenditures, it could be pretty easy, then the FIA could charge this team twice the average price of the part in question. And then you'll see how fast all invoices would be filed with the FIA."

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