Zak Brown has called warnings that Formula One's top teams may not be able to complete the 2022 season "empty threats."

The alarm has been sounded mainly by Red Bull's Christian Horner - who said last week that the budget ceiling and inflationary crisis could take up to half of the teams out of the season's end.

"We are all going to race because there are contracts that oblige us to do that," McLaren CEO Brown told the German broadcaster .

"We have sponsors who expect that. I can't imagine a scenario where a team prematurely ends the season. I don't believe that for a second, they are just empty threats."

According to Horner, the 2022 championship could face a crisis if the FIA does not approve an increase in this year's budget ceiling.

"I wish some would value credibility more when making statements or expressing opinions like that," Brown said, without quoting Horner. "Then they could be taken more seriously."

However, he admits that rising inflation is a big problem for the $140 million per team budget cap.

"We will break the budget ceiling," Brown admits. "We saved as much as possible in the development of the car and really tried to stay within the limit, but then inflation came and transport and energy costs exploded."

"The FIA now needs to think about how to deal with the problem and then we have to see how this can be solved for the future. We must all work together to find a fair and sensible solution.

What Brown doesn't understand is the fact that some teams are rejecting the inflation problem.

"I don't understand. We all have the same problem, the same cost increase. Therefore, all teams should exceed the limit by a similar amount. Otherwise, some may be trying to take advantage of the situation."