Williams boss James Vowles dropped receipts in Singapore: Formula 1's cost cap hasn't compressed the field — it's made the big four more dominant. The numbers are stark. Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren claimed 77% of available points in the decade before the cap (2011-20). Since 2021? That share jumped to 83%. Podiums tell the same story. Non-big-four teams grabbed 10.5% of podium slots before the cap; they're down to 5.4% now. One win outside the cartel in the last 130 grands prix. Vowles calls it a "cost-cap trap" and wants a catch-up mechanism for 2027, arguing the current rules lock the midfield out of contention. McLaren's resurgence from its dismal 2010s skews the trend slightly, but the core claim holds: the cost cap was supposed to level the playing field. Instead, it's calcified the hierarchy. Whether Liberty Media or the FIA will act on Vowles' proposal remains the question headed into next season's regulation talks.
Read the full story at The Race
