F1 budget cap "won't be perfect" this year - McLaren CEO Brown

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has conceded the new budget cap introduced to Formula 1 "won't be perfect" this year as fine-tuning will be required.

For this season, teams are obliged to operate at under $145million. Driver salaries and the additional three top earners are among a number of exemptions.

Whilst Brown has praised the effort in ensuring the cap is enforceable this year, he has warned the initiative will be far from the finished article in its first season.

“The FIA, the teams and Formula 1 have been working continuously on defining it and regulating it," said Brown.

"I am sure it will be learning from year one and it won’t be perfect. I think they will get it right and it will achieve what we were hoping to achieve which is a more level playing field."

The cap has been put in place to close the net spend of the wealthier manufacturers compared to the independents on the grid in the hope of closing the gaps that exist.

Brown has explained that the team has had to make changes to meet the financial requirements of the cap but the full amount would be usable in McLaren's quest to again win races.

"We were spending beyond the cap previously so we have made some adjustments to come down to the cap," he added.

"There will be learnings this year and I think there will be discrepancies, but we will move on.

"I think Andreas [Seidl, team principal] and the team have the full resources to run at the cap so spending at the cap and spending on total performance is a goal.

"We are confident the cap will achieve for the sport what we hoped it will achieve but I am sure there will be learnings throughout the year.”

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