The coexistence of speed and risk means that the more you push the limits, the exponentially higher the chances of crashing will be. Smaller and medium-sized teams have limited budgets each year, and excessive repair costs can crush the development budget, leading to increasingly uncompetitive cars, forming a vicious cycle.
Latterly, the Haas Team had been caught in such a vicious cycle, signing drivers who were all known as Kings of Crashes for several consecutive years. Repair costs for just one season soared to several million US dollars, to the point where even spare parts couldn't be supplied.
Small teams have annual budgets that barely exceed a hundred million, which also needs to cover various personnel salaries and marketing expenses. The funds for development must be carefully calculated, and suddenly losing several million US dollars can be fatal!
However, for championship-contending teams, they focus more on a driver's potential.
