Teams on F1 Strategy Group ask for its future to be reviewed

Only rule changes and other ideas agreed by the Strategy Group can proceed to the F1 Commission, where all teams and other parties such as race promoters also have a say.

The current top six F1 teams have one vote each in the Strategy Group, with the FIA and the commercial rights-holder have six votes each.

Since Liberty took over, the other four teams - Renault, Toro Rosso, Haas and Sauber - have been invited to observe Strategy Group meetings but cannot vote.

In the same letter to FIA president Jean Todt and F1 CEO Chase Carey in which Strategy Group teams Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams and Force India questioned Renault's likely signing of ex-FIA man Marcin Budkowski, they asked to open a debate on the Group's future at its next meeting on November 7.

Teams feel given that all 10 of them are now involved in meetings, the Strategy Group could be regarded as redundant, and that ideas and votes on changes should go straight to the F1 Commission.

Bernie Ecclestone traditionally tended to add his six votes to those of the teams, and over-ride the FIA.

With Carey and Ross Brown seen as being more aligned with the FIA than Ecclestone was, there is also a feeling among teams that their voice could be weakened.

"It's moved a long way now by having everybody there," one team boss told Autosport.

"At least you've got a sharing of information, and people are aware of what's going on.

"But on the other hand how relevant is it to the future given also the expansion of the Formula One Group?

"It's probably an appropriate time just to look, see what it's doing well, and what it's not doing well."

Another key conclusion of the six teams' informal Malaysian meeting was the future chairmanship of the Strategy Group, which was hitherto held by Todt.

It is supposed to rotate, and the teams agreed in Malaysia that rather than one of them take a turn, it should now pass to a Liberty representative such as Carey or Brawn.

In addition to wanting a debate about the future of the Strategy Group and the Budkowski case, the letter to Todt and Carey also raised the issue of 2017 payments from the F1 organisation.

As a result of extra expenditure in the Liberty era, on areas such as its recruitment drive and initiatives like the F1 Live event in London, the Formula One Group is expecting a drop in profits - meaning the share of revenues that goes to the teams will fall.

But teams have always budgeted on the basis of steadily increasing overall revenues and have now found that they will receive less than expected for this year - with a shortfall possibly in the region of £1-2million per team.

The teams now want a discussion on the implications, and issues such as whether such extra expenditure should be funded by new investment obtained by Liberty, or come out of the profits.