McLaren F1 Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh Calls F1 Budget Cap 'Unrealistic'

McLaren F1 Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh has dismissed F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone's idea of a budget cap as "unrealistic," according to Andrew Benson of BBC.co.uk. Ecclestone "has proposed a $250M limit on total spending, including driver salaries, for all team." Whitmarsh said, "It's a little bit unrealistic to have a global budget cap. It becomes difficult to pin down and know everyone is comfortably operating within it." Red Bull Racing "spent £176.8M last year, but that entity has only 52 employees." Whitmarsh said, "The philosophy of controlling costs in F1 is important to our sport. I think we all agree on that. There is a difference of opinion about how you best achieve that. Bernie wants one that controls driver salaries and all those things. I think what we should be trying to do is ensure we are spending money in the appropriate places. I think we should be controlling excessive spend in development" (BBC.co.uk, 10/28).