Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne insists a budget cap in Formula 1 wouldn't work, despite Toro Rosso team boss Franz Tost's recent comments suggesting it would be easy to police and must happen in the future.
The FIA have tried several times – unsuccessfully – to introduce a cost cap, but the various proposals have come up against strong opposition from the leading teams, although the majority of the smaller outfits back the idea.
Tost recently said costs were becoming "unfeasible" and that every team is spending "way too much money" in pursuit of success.
His suggestion that a budget cap is the way forward isn't shared by Marchionne, who believes Formula 1 will always demand huge development budgets.
"The reality is Formula 1 is an extremely expensive sport," he told The Sun newspaper.
"There are factory teams from Renault to Mercedes, big companies that can concentrate on development in a broader way, and this, for costs, becomes very dangerous.
"I accept the goal of reducing costs but much depends on us and how we adapt to these demands. But I don't believe a budget cap can work."
The Ferrari and Fiat-Chrysler boss says recent moves by the FIA to reduce costs – by limiting development on key areas such as gearboxes, engines and wind tunnel time – hasn't saved Ferrari any money as top teams will always find other areas to spend their money.
"When I look at old reports — ten years and even further back — I deduce that Ferrari has never held back when it comes to spending," he added. "Despite all these interventions by the FIA to try to limit spending, the teams have found other ways to spend.
"This is the old problem for all those who try to impose limits on car development: if areas are left open, spending concentrates in this area.
"If I look at the last four of five years, we haven't saved a euro, we have simply redistributed our spending to other areas.
"In principle it's [a budget cap] very noble but, then, the effect never gives the necessary results."
