F1's Strategy Group can replace disbanded FOTA - Claire Williams

FOTA, created in in 2008 with the goal of giving F1 teams a united voice when dealing with commercial rights holders and the FIA, was disbanded at the end of last month.

Its strength was significantly undermined in 2011 when Ferrari, Red Bull and Sauber decide to leave.

Williams suggested FOTA had not managed to adapt to F1's new demands, and feels the Strategy Group will be a good replacement for the teams' body.

"I think FOTA when it initially came out had a very different [mandate], it was initially established for particular reasons but F1 has changed, the landscape has changed in the sport," Williams said.

"It is a shame and we always need a platform for teams to come together and discuss issues whatever they may be in order to find a common ground and solution.

"It being dissolved is a shame but it changed and teams came out of it, which is a shame, as you need in a sport all the teams talking together in one group. If you don't have that, is the body still relevant?

"But we have the Strategy Group now, which is comprised of the five teams and the FIA and FOM, and it is doing a good job. It is very conscious in the work it is doing to try to improve the sport now but also to protect it in the future."

The Strategy Group was created during the 2013 season and it's made up of 18 representatives from the FIA and FOM, plus Ferrari, Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren and Lotus.