Toro Rosso's Tost: budget cap can work!

Toro Rosso boss Franz Tost is firmly in the camp of those who believe that a restraint on spending could successfully work in Formula 1.

The sport's new owner, Liberty Media, is seriously thinking of implementing a spending cap sometime in the near future.

The idea was devised in the past by former FIA President Max Mosley and led to a heated debate with the teams at the time, several of which threatened to quit the sport if the plan went through which ultimately led to its demise.

Should Liberty attempt once again to force the issue, it could once more lead to division, although Franz Tost is very much in favour of the idea.

"Give each team, for example, 150 million euros with the FIA watching over it," he told Austria's Tiroler Tageszeitung.

"The big teams will cry foul, that there is no way to control costs but this is nonsense. At Toro Rosso, I know how much each screw costs.

"Many claim you cannot control it, but that's nonsense as well… if somebody doesn'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. Then you'll see how fast all invoices would be filed with the FIA."

Tost, whose views may run counter to those of Red Bull over in Milton Keynes, argues that the future of Grand Prix racing could be put in jeopardy if costs are not reined in sooner rather than later.

"We need to reduce the costs. It shouldn't be that a team spends 450 million euros 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 spend way too much money on F1."

Silbermann says ... Merry Christmas

2016 driver ratings: 12-1

2016 driver ratings: 24-13

2016 team-by-team review: Part one

2016 team-by-team review: Part two

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