Formula 1 teams set to seek clarification on status of 2014 regulations

New rules are supposed to be supported by F1's Technical Working Group and the F1 Commission, before being rubber stamped by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council.

Although the principle of the 2014 rules - which include the switch to 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines and aerodynamically different chassis - have received backing from the teams and were approved by the WMSC in June, it is understood that some of the specific regulations have not yet been officially approved.

Despite that, the FIA published the 2014 regulations on its website earlier this week - prompting some surprise from teams who fear that it could set a future precedent for the FIA imposing regulations unilaterally.

AUTOSPORT understands that the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) discussed the matter at a meeting at the Nurburgring on Saturday night, with the teams set to ask the FIA to explain the situation.

Renault team principal Eric Boullier, who is vice chairman of FOTA, told AUTOSPORT: "We are a bit concerned that some rules have been published without being discussed within the F1 Technical Working Group.

"We want to raise a point that if the F1 Commission was created for us, then it is maybe insane to have a governing body deciding some rules that could have dramatic financial consequences for the teams.

"That is why we created this process to make sure that big decisions can be taken, and we need to consider the economical viability and sustainability of the project. It looks like something is missing from this new process."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh made it clear that the teams did not want a major dispute with the FIA, but were simply seeking clarity about the processes by which the 2014 regulations were made official.

"Some of the teams have expressed their concern about that," he told AUTOSPORT. "What we are trying to do is work productively with the FIA and not get into a fight about it, but I think it has been established that if the teams are involved in the detail of the regulations then not only have you got greater consensus but you have a better item.

"The concept [of the 2014 regulations] was agreed by the F1 Commission, but there have been some detail points that were not put through the process. There is nothing fundamentally wrong in what has been published for 2014, but there is a concern that if we start doing detail regulations without consulting the teams then we will get into a mess."

Boullier said, however, that there were some elements of the new regulations that he was not happy with.

"Personally I have some concerns about the electrical running in the pit lane," he said. "I understand the environmentally friendly push, but there is a safety issue. For me it is very dangerous to have silent cars in the pit lane."