F1 team boss fumes at SELFISH rivals as key debate goes 'round in circles'

Guenther Steiner, Christian Horner, Austrian GP, 2023 — Photo: © LAT Images

Formula 1

F1 team boss fumes at SELFISH rivals as key debate goes 'round in circles'

The teams have been back and forth on the same topic for months without any progress

Joe Ellis

Monday 31 July 2023 10:57

Williams team principal James Vowles is not happy with his rivals as capital expenditure talks fail to be resolved.

The team bosses all met with the FIA at the Belgian GP to discuss a variety of topics, one of which was the increase in capital expenditure to allow smaller teams to make upgrades to their facilities within the budget cap.

Voting was taken at the meeting but no definitive conclusion could be reached to further delay the chance of Williams, in particular, making big strides.

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Vowles blamed his fellow team principals for their selfish voting which prevents the smaller teams from having a chance of catching up with the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes and Ferrari.

Vowles: It's disappointing

James Vowles has wanted to upgrade Williams' facilities since the moment he stepped into the team principal role

"If I wind back, February 20, which is a few days after I started here, was the first day I put on the table that we as Williams need help," said Vowles, as per Motorsport.com.

"We cannot compete at the front with the facilities we have at the factory. That remains the case today. That hasn't changed.

"And in five months or so, it's unfortunate and it's disappointing, frankly, that we're in a situation where again, that meeting, I would argue, went round in circles if nothing else.

"And to a certain extent, it will do, because everyone in that room wants to make sure that they're not losing out relative to everyone else. And there was no way of doing it.

"There's no way of just letting Williams gain facilities, especially in a circumstance where we're currently sitting seventh in the championship.”