Secret talks planned on F1 future

The meeting, to be held next month, will last 24 hours to ensure there is plenty of time for serious discussion

The idea is for the group to work out how F1 will develop over the next decade and determine what would happen if the sport was reinvented from scratch.

Any points that differ from the current set-up of F1 will be examined to see if they could be introduced at some stage, and if so, when.

'It's the first time this has ever been done,' said a source. 'Some have done it informally before, but never everyone at the same time. It may be a waste of time, but it could be that something useful will come out of it.'

Often, teams' meetings are said to degenerate into squabbles and political point-scoring exercises.

Even if serious philosophical questions about the future of F1 come up, there is said to be never enough time to discuss them properly.

Among the ideas that will be debated are whether F1 needs more overtaking and if it is too expensive. Other suggestions, no matter how radical, will also be discussed.