Cost cuts meeting will go ahead
FIA president Max Mosley has vowed to go ahead with his planned meeting to discuss much-needed cost cuts in Formula 1 which is due to take place this Friday, autosport.com can reveal, despite a request from a majority of teams asking for it to be delayed
The teams wrote a letter to Mosley following their own meeting with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone at Heathrow on Tuesday asking for the meeting to be postponed until the start of the European season, so they had more time to analyse the impact of new rules due to be introduced this year.
But their calls appear to have fallen on deaf ears, with the FIA understood to be adamant that the sport presses ahead and introduces cost-cutting measures. Any move to delay the meeting until April would only serve to make the confirmation of any agreed rule changes for 2006 come much later in the year - leading to a knock-on increase in costs for those teams forced to make the necessary changes.
An FIA spokesman said: "The meeting will go ahead. Our objective is to ensure that all the teams have an opportunity to express their opinions, in addition to the four teams who have so far submitted their proposals."
The submission of proposals relates to a series of cost-cutting measures that Mosley wants to the teams to discuss. This was forwarded to teams last week in the wake of responses from BAR, Ferrari, Renault and Williams for ideas to help the sport after a request for input by Mosley in December.
Mosley's proposals includes strict testing limits, standard ECUs, a restricted use of telemetry, standard brakes, extended engine life, rev limits for engine, a major reduction in downforce, a return to slick tyres and the banning of spare cars with grand prix weekends being reduced to two days.
In the letter to Mosley, the teams wrote: "Whilst we share your desire to reduce the cost of participating in Formula 1, it is critical that the fundamental values of Formula 1 are preserved to safeguard its long-term stability and success as the pinnacle of world motor sport.
"Cost-cutting proposals should be evaluated in the wider context of the sport's appeal to its fans...in the meanwhile, we all fully recognise the need for a period of stability in our sport and we will adhere strictly to the spirit and letter of the 'Concorde Agreement' for the remainder of its term and we trust that the FIA will do likewise."
Bathurst 12 Hour: Van Gisbergen Mercedes leads after first quarter
Shane van Gisbergen’s Triple Eight Mercedes headed Matt Campbell’s Manthey Porsche after three hours of racing at Mount Panorama in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
Tanak scores first Puma win in preparation for WRC Rally Sweden
Ott Tanak claimed his first victory driving an M-Sport Ford Puma after winning the Otepaa Winter Rally in preparation for next week’s World Rally Championship round in Sweden.
Ranking the worst Formula 1 cars to win a grand prix
Cars that rarely looked like contenders for victory have occasionally slipped through the net to become winners of world championship Formula 1 races. But which was the worst of the bunch?
Schumacher radio criticism highlighted F1 privacy change for Russell
George Russell says that the way an off-the-cuff radio remark criticising Mick Schumacher last year became a big deal shows how he is more under the spotlight in Formula 1.
How Tyrrell became a racing Rubik’s cube as it faded out of F1
Formula 1’s transformation into a global sport meant the gradual extinction for a small team determined to stay true to its low-budget roots. But Tyrrell would eventually be reborn as a world-beating outfit again, explains MAURICE HAMILTON, albeit in different colours…
Assessing Hamilton's remarkable decade as a Mercedes F1 driver
Many doubted Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes for the 2013 Formula 1 season. But the journey he’s been on since has taken the Briton to new heights - and to a further six world championship titles
Why new look Haas is a litmus test for Formula 1’s new era
OPINION: With teams outside the top three having struggled in Formula 1 in recent seasons, the rules changes introduced in 2022 should have more of an impact this season. How well Haas does, as the poster child for the kind of team that F1 wanted to be able to challenge at the front, is crucial
The Mercedes F1 pressure changes under 10 years of Toto Wolff
OPINION: Although the central building blocks for Mercedes’ recent, long-lasting Formula 1 success were installed before he joined the team, Toto Wolff has been instrumental in ensuring it maximised its finally-realised potential after years of underachievement. The 10-year anniversary of Wolff joining Mercedes marks the perfect time to assess his work
The all-French F1 partnership that Ocon and Gasly hope to emulate
Alpine’s signing of Pierre Gasly alongside Esteban Ocon revives memories of a famous all-French line-up, albeit in the red of Ferrari, for BEN EDWARDS. Can the former AlphaTauri man's arrival help the French team on its path back to winning ways in a tribute act to the Prancing Horse's title-winning 1983?
How do the best races of F1 2022 stack up to 2021?
OPINION: A system to score all the grands prix from the past two seasons produces some interesting results and sets a standard that 2023 should surely exceed
Who were the fastest drivers in F1 2022?
Who was the fastest driver in 2022? Everyone has an opinion, but what does the stopwatch say? Obviously, differing car performance has an effect on ultimate laptime – but it’s the relative speed of each car/driver package that’s fascinating and enlightening says ALEX KALINAUCKAS
Why F1's nearly man is refreshed and ready for his return
He has more starts without a podium than anyone else in Formula 1 world championship history, but Nico Hulkenberg is back for one more shot with Haas. After spending three years on the sidelines, the revitalised German is aiming to prove to his new team what the F1 grid has been missing
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.