FIA rejects Ferrari request after F1 rival given special treatment in budget cap Ferrari have been denied in their request to the FIA for more lenient budget cap rules after Audi were granted a special exemption.
But while the FIA has agreed to give more leeway to Audi in terms of the annual budget cap by which all 10 F1 teams must abide, the governing body has rejected a similar request from Ferrari who have struggled to attract talent because workers are often reluctant to relocate from the UK to Italy.
Explaining that decision, referencing how unhappy the other nine teams are that Audi has been afforded special treatment, the FIA's single-seater director Nikolas Tombazis said: "The situation influencing the salaries between teams is a bit more complex because you have to take into consideration the difficulty in obtaining people from other teams because of what you have to pay them.
However, that means inevitably higher operating costs because of a much higher cost of living in Switzerland, which means workers are paid more than at other F1 teams, most of which are based in the UK.
And, while some of their operations will be based in Germany, the outfit is set to retain its current headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland, going forward.
