Formula One news
'We know exactly what must be done'
01 June 2009Stefano Domenicali has stressed that, from now on, any rule changes in the sport should be run strictly by the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) following the ongoing budget cap row, in which nine teams now supposedly threaten to pull out of the sport in the event of the system not being lifted in the next eleven days.
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| FIA president Max Mosley was the first man to suggest a budget cap |
With next Friday, June 12, the date that governing body the FIA will reveal the full line-up of the 2010 World Championship's grid, the Ferrari team principal explained FOTA's reasoning behind its stance "It's very simple," he said. "The nine teams that currently make up FOTA (with Williams suspended), have put in entries for the 2010 championship that will only be valid if the Concorde Agreement is signed and if the regulations will be those currently in use, but modified as per FOTA's suggestions."
Domenicali is adamant that, in the event of the FIA not lifting the cap, severe action will be taken by FOTA. "Once again, the answer is simple," he continued to state. "The entries from the nine teams will be invalid. (12 June) is the date when the FIA must publish the list of teams entered in the 2010 championship and we want everything to be resolved by that date."
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| The first FOTA meeting took place in Switzerland at the beginning of March |
Against recent rumours, however, the Italian went on to explain that saying 'no' to the budget cap would not be solely for the 2010 season. "Absolutely not," he emphasised. "The request to make the 2009 regulations the starting point means there will be no budget cap. It (cost-cutting) should be done by implementing a self-regulating procedure within FOTA, so that the body itself and the teams carry out the monitoring; we know exactly what must be done and we can do it on our own, as can be seen from what has been achieved so far. In fact, this is exactly what has been happening for years - where it is the teams that have reached an agreement among themselves to manage the situation - and it works well."
He then recapped on a summary of FOTA's cost-restricting ideas thus far:
- engine-gearbox packages for independent teams at a cost of €6.5m for the entire season
- a cut down on aerodynamics, such as restricting the number of different wings that can be used during the course of the season; "this way, we maintain the technological competition but without it spiralling, thus having a beneficial effect on costs"
- reducing the structure of the team over a race weekend, such as removing refuelling at pit stops during the race
"There are many other points, but for the moment we prefer not to go into further detail, given that we are in discussion with the FIA."
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| Meetings continued for FOTA on the yacht of Flavio Briatore in Monte-Carlo |
44-year-old Domenicali, Ferrari team principal since the start of last year, next went on to explain that the possible solutions would also assist new teams: "The considerable reduction in costs which would follow means it will be possible to take part and be sufficiently competitive in a discipline which remains the ultimate form of motorsport, both as a competition and a business, given that its worth and its visibility will not just remain unaltered but will actually be strengthened by the efforts of all the major constructors to stay for the long-term.
"The FIA wants to significantly reduce costs with two objectives: to stop any more existing teams from quitting the sport and to allow for the eventual entry of new teams; both of these targets can be met - costs will be considerably reduced and, at the same time, there will be considerable efforts made by the current competitors in Formula 1 to stay in the sport."
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| 2010's line-up will be revealed next Friday |
Finally, the Ferrari team principal - who is representative of the team within FOTA - predicted the outcome of the situation in the event of the FIA abandoning its budget cap initiative. "If this happens, and I really hope it does, I would prefer to say that Formula 1 is the winner," he concluded, rather than saying that FOTA had won its 'war' with the FIA. "It will have kept its main characteristics of technological and sporting competition and will have been assured of stability in the regulations and the long-term commitment of the participants; this is what FOTA has always wanted, to work alongside the FIA and the commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management), for a healthy and prosperous Formula 1."
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