While the cost cap has been praised for bringing teams closer together and making F1 more sustainable, the traditional top teams continue enjoying an advantage with their existing infrastructure.
With most performance-related infrastructure projects included in the cost cap, there is little scope for teams that have to catch up without making drastic compromises elsewhere.
One exception is the construction of a new wind tunnel, which has specifically been exempted from the cost cap regulations and is something that Aston Martin has taken advantage of.
But other big-ticket items that are necessary for midfield teams to catch up do fall under the cost cap and its additional $36m capital expenditure allowance over a four-year period from 2022 to 2025.
Teams including Alpine and Williams have already brought up the issue in recent Formula 1 Commission meetings, with Alpine team principal Szafnauer urging F1 against "baking in an inequity" of infrastructure compared to teams such as Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes.
"We just need to get the FIA to allow a certain amount of infrastructure that's required by all the teams to be competitive or have the playing field be even not counting for the cost [cap]," Szafnauer said.
"Because otherwise, what you do is you bake in an inequity of infrastructure, because we do have a capital expenditure cost cap."
Source: Autosport