Paris (AFP)
Jean Todt, the president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), "hopes that priorities will be shifted", after the coronavirus crisis, in the motor sport he directs, and beyond.
Q: How do you live this period?
A: "I would have done well given the reason why we are doing it, but we have to try to learn from it. Often, I take issue with the importance that we give to things like weapons nuclear, going to the Moon, autonomous cars ... I have once again confirmed that the most unknown and least controlled thing is the human being. We are talking about a new virus but there are lots of old diseases that we do not know how to treat: cancer, leukemia, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's ... This is one of the reasons why, with Professor Gérard Saillant, we created the Institute of the Brain and Spinal Cord in Paris I hope that the priorities will be shifted and that more space will be given to medical research. "
Q: You speak of a "new deal" following this crisis ...
A: "The + new deal + is to say that when everything is going to reopen, things will be different. We must take advantage of this opportunity. Today, we are confined. If you adopted the same attitude of responsibility on roads, there would be fewer accidents, less pollution. That too is part of it. "
Q: What issues are you facing at the FIA?
A: "Already, see how our members react to the problems it poses, especially financial. There are also our championships, with this cascade of cancellations and postponements. We must reconsider the calendars by asking ourselves when everything will be able to resume at Logistical and intellectual levels Even if all the conditions are met to make a Grand Prix, are you going to want to do it? It will be especially important to learn lessons. Motor racing, starting with F1, is too expensive. We have already taken steps in this direction, but the pandemic is making it more difficult to bear these costs. There is the risk of losing teams and manufacturers. We must be responsible and implement more acceptable and accepted solutions. "
Q: That is to say?
A: "In F1, the new technical regulation is pushed back from 2021 to 2022 and the financial threshold (maximum expenditure with which the stables will have to comply from next year, note) will be lowered. It will be less than 175 million dollars (about 160 million euros), but everything is not included in this ceiling. We are working on it. "
Q: We know the complex decision-making in F1, each team defending its own interests. What is it now?
A: "It remains complicated. Nevertheless, we feel an opening, so it is an opportunity not to be missed. But ultimately, with our friends from Formula One (the promoter of F1, note), we will make the decisions. "
Q: When can we consider resuming competitions?
A: "We can only try to imagine what could happen and simulate the calendars. We could say that we would find a more normal life at the end of June, at the beginning of July, so today we are in the simulations of this is the case. We are in this period of reflection where all options are open. "
Q: Is there a risk that these championships will be devalued because they are shortened?
A: "I don't know if we can say that. What is it worth in the current context? 2020 will remain a dark year that we never thought of living and that I hope we will not live anymore We can take stock at the end of the year but it is too early today. We cannot predict when the championship will start again - I hope as soon as possible - if it will start again and what will be the calendar if it starts again. "
Q: The cancellation in extremis of the inaugural Grand Prix in Australia has been widely criticized. What do you think ?
A: "People say we shouldn't have gone. To me, that's not true. There was no reason not to go to Australia. However, when we were there, things accelerated so quickly that we decided not to run. The same weekend, we sent the French to vote (in the first round of the municipal elections, note). There was no reason not to not send them and then we say we shouldn't have done it. It's so easy ... The world is made up of advisers who are not always payers and I think we have to try to be a little more humble to better understand things. "
Q: Virtual races are organized to replace the real races. How do you see this?
A: "We have been very much in favor of it for a long time. The FIA has created an esports working group which will become a commission. I watched the F1 race with my family. I am a bit old-fashioned, I prefer to see a real race , but it's a friendly, friendly way to participate and I think it's something that will develop. However, it has a somewhat dangerous side with the risk of isolation. You have to find the right dosage. "
Interview by Raphaëlle PELTIER.
© 2020 AFP