Team budget estimation reveals income spread

Recent team budget estimations have revealed that Red Bull Racing is narrowly the best funded team on the grid, followed by Mercedes and McLAren Honda. Ferrari is third, with behind them a big difference in available money.

The Italian publication autosprint estimates Red Bull's funds at the beginning of 2015 at around €468 million.

The complete list of budgets shows how huge the gap that exists between the first group of four teams, and the rest of the grid. Red Bull Racing, Mercedes, McLaren-Honda and Ferrari are on a similar level. However, the sources of income are different. Red Bull and Ferrari massively build on sponsors, while Mercedes and McLaren-Honda have a significant income from partners.

Ferrari meanwhile benefits from its extra share of income from Formula 1 commercial rights holder.

Williams, Lotus, Toro Rosso, Force India and Sauber all move in the EUR 100 million region. Manor is the team with the smallest budget. 60% of its income is the amount from FOM which the team can thank to the squad’s only point-scoring finish earned by Jules Bianchi in last year’s Monaco GP.

Formula 1 has been driven by money since its early days. Money is needed to sign the best drivers and best technicians and to carry out intensive development programme ceaselessly throughout the year. Smaller teams however have recently come into trouble due to the introduction of more expensive engines, making the gap between the leading 4 and the rest bigger and more troublesome than it ever was before.