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FIA intends to publish Strategy Group news on Friday

Published on 15 May 2015 10:18
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By: Rob Veenstra

The news filtering out from Thursday's landmark meeting of the Strategy Group is not encouraging. Amid the sport's reported problems and widespread calls for change, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was not confident as the stakeholders headed for his facility at the Biggin Hill airport in England. "We will spend four or five hours deciding the date for the next meeting," Italy's Autosprint quotes the 84-year-old as sardonically predicting.

Indeed, The Times newspaper says the Strategy Group has become renowned for its "inaction and self-interest". Actually, Thursday's meeting - involving the most powerful teams as well as FIA president Jean Todt and CVC chairman Donald Mackenzie - took 6 hours. And the next sitting has been scheduled for June.

As for Thursday's outcome, the first unofficial reports were of "constructive" talks. As expected, however, it is understood that the teams could not unanimously agree to increase this year's engine allocation from 4 to 5 'power units' per driver. But the bigger issue was finding a roadmap for the future.

Many stakeholders were hoping for a sharp change of direction, but it appears the only major agreement was the green-light for so-called 'customer cars' in future. That will be little comfort to the struggling outfits like Force India, Sauber and Lotus, who were crying out for a change to the patently inequitable distribution of the almost billion dollars in commercial revenue.

As The Times reported after Thursday's meeting, "McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes all refused to budge on redistributing prize money skewed in their favour". Insiders say the FIA intends to issue a press release on Friday outlining measures to improve the show, while the Telegraph says it may also include "modest proposals for cost-cutting".

So while the small teams might be disappointed by Thursday's events, it is expected Red Bull is also unhappy that F1 did not turn a radical corner. Told that the energy drink company has committed to the sport contractually until 2020, Dr Helmut Marko told Kleine Zeitung newspaper: "Yes, but not to a formula one in this form."

"There is a wise phrase in sporting law," the Austrian added. "'For the good of the sport, any decision is possible'. No matter what the Strategy Group decides. Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt know that too. We can only hope that sense prevails," said Marko. (GMM)

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Replies (1)

mclarenfan1968

Posts: 1,027
The sport is utter garbage now. If you want to fix it then here are the points to focus on when overhauling the regulations.

1) Focus on cars with more groundforce effects and make aero rules in such a way that following another car should not produce detrimental effects on front tyres.

2) No more DRS, drivers should have cars that are easier to follow and overtake on pure merit.

3) No more energy recovery systems and costly technologies in the name of "green" cars. This is Sport, don't try it, you lot are not kidding anyone with the green tag on everything. MotorSport is never green and none of that tech is distilling down to roadcars. Biggest BS yet, 1.6 liter V6 engines that can't last more than 4-5 GPs. Would you like to have this sort of engine in your next road car? yeah thought so. So you either make an engine that lasts the whole season and walk the talk or do away with the nonsense and come up engines that are cheaper and ensures Horsepower parity among the teams.

We don't give a rat's @#$ about the technology, we care only about the racing between drivers and teams. You want to save the planet? go plant more trees. Tell the west to stop the double standards and cut back on wood and paper imports/exports.
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- May 15 2015 - 10:40