Monaco (AFP)
Races in procession to the result often played in advance, TV audiences in decline: Formula 1 seeks the magic formula to reinvent itself, but the rivalries between teams and the profitability objectives of the developers complicate the task.
The negotiation of a new technical and financial regulation for 2021 that will succeed the current "Concorde agreements" offers him this possibility. It will be the first to be traded since the departure of Bernie Ecclestone, who ruled F1 for decades, and under the era of his successors, the Americans of Liberty Media.
In principle, most of these new rules should be submitted to the stables by the end of June for adoption by the end of the year. But, as Christian Horner, Red Bull boss, pointed out in Monaco, "something will come out in June, it will change in September, maybe in October, probably in November (...) and this is not the case. when we see what we are offered we will begin to really discuss. "
Several topics are already known as dividing factors. The standardization of certain parts of cars to reduce costs divides the teams, many saying that this would be contrary to "DNA of F1" but others stressing that it would reduce the costs of manufacturing cars.
The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has announced in Monaco that it is already giving up such a possibility for gearboxes. But this could still be the case for suspension elements, braking and engine cooling systems, rims ...
Among other things that are annoying is the limitation of spending: everyone is in favor in principle, but the richest fear that it is a sideways way to tie their hands and requires them to fire employees.
"If, with 300 million annual budget, we can not be in the game, there are questions to ask ...", however highlights Cyril Abiteboul, the boss of the Renault team, currently 8th out of 10 teams in the championship of the manufacturers' championship. Mercedes and Ferrari would currently spend around 450 million euros annually.
- The veto of Ferrari -
The income distribution of F1, which favors large teams like Ferrari, Mercedes and to a lesser extent Red Bull at the expense of smaller ones is also a hot topic. In 2018, out of a total of some 825 million euros, Ferrari received 20.5%, Mercedes 18% and Red Bull 15.5% but Sauber (now Alfa Romeo), the worst, just a little less of 5%.
The ranking of the stable the previous year influences this distribution and its importance should be reinforced in the distribution key that Liberty Media proposes. It would penalize Ferrari first, which is currently receiving a premium as the oldest stable on the set.
Then comes the question of the "veto" available to the Italian team since the 1980s on any decision involving the current structure of F1. It had been granted to him as the only entity to have participated in all editions of the world championship since its creation in 1950.
The boss of the "Scuderia" Mattia Binotto has set fire to the powders recently saying that this veto protected the F1 against any decision threatening its existence and should therefore be maintained.
"It's silly," retorted Claire Williams in Monaco, who runs the eponymous team created by her father Frank. She considers the governance structure of the current F1 "too democratic" and wants to see the FIA and promoters "regain ownership of the regulations". According to her, "a stable should not have a veto".
"We recognize the specific importance of Ferrari for sport but this should be reflected more in the commercial part of the agreement than in the governance part," said Cyril Abiteboul.
? 2019 AFP