Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Williams F1 team hopes Ferrari's bonus payments are reduced

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams wants a fairer distribution of Formula 1's revenues, and while she accepts Ferrari getting a 'heritage payment' she hopes it is eventually reduced

As Autosport revealed last week, Ferrari will receive more money than any other team for its 2015 performance despite finishing second in the championship.

Ferrari will earn an estimated $192million, which is almost 20 per cent of the total prize pot, and includes $87m in performance payments and $105m in heritage/CCB bonuses, the latter of which Ferrari earns even if both cars retire at the first corner of every grand prix.

All the teams signed individual bilateral agreements - which replaced the Concorde Agreement - with F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone that detail how the revenues will be split, and these expire in 2020.

When asked for her views on Ferrari's heritage payment and its validity when new agreements are negotiated for the next decade, Williams said: "I wouldn't have an issue if Ferrari had a heritage payment but just not as great as it is."

She concedes all the teams agreed to the terms of their current deals and can do nothing about it until they start to negotiate the next contract, but added she was hopeful there could be a redistribution when that happens.

"My philosophy in life is that if you can't doing anything about something then, don't worry about it," she said.

"We have tried, lots of teams have tried, to have those conversations but as Bernie points out, we all signed up to the current agreement, under those terms.

"We can't do anything about it. We have a lot of other things to worry about. So why worry about it?

"We have to bide our time. I imagine we will start negotiating new terms well ahead of 2020.

"I hope a revision and redistribution is something which is tabled as part of those discussions.

"I don't know if that is possible as this is F1 but I hope so.

"I'm a firm believer sport should have equitable platforms to be successful."

Be part of the Autosport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Last hurdle to F1's return to previous qualifying format cleared
Next article Honda to focus on top-end speed after McLaren's good start to 2016

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Autosport Plus

Discover premium content
Subscribe