Formula One news

FOTA pledges to listen to fans more

The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) has vowed to confer more with the fans of the sport when making decisions in the future. With a breakaway threat removed and all current teams competing next season as well as three new entrants, Martin Whitmarsh has explained that more active listening will be taking place.

Fans showed their support for FOTA at the British Grand Prix

Currently representing all teams on the grid with the exception of Williams and Force India, FOTA promises to involve fans with important decisions regarding the future of F1. "Formula One is a great sport but we know can be better," admitted Whitmarsh, head of FOTA's working group for sporting regulations. "If the teams work together, the future of sport can be more secure and more sustainable; the idea was to come together before the financial meltdown of the world."

Although 2009's off-track politics may have stolen headline spots more than most would have wanted, the McLaren team principal hopes that the disagreements between teams and governing body the FIA is part of a steep learning curve. "Recently, some proposals which were unacceptable to the teams have been dropped - hopefully this is the start of a process in which teams, the commercial rights holder (Formula One Management, headed by Bernie Ecclestone) and the governing body working together and listening to fans more actively - hopefully in the future we will have a lot more of that."

Although he labelled some differences between FOTA, the FIA and FOM as natural obstacles, Whitmarsh believes that the time has come for supporters to be listened to first as opposed to left out in the open. "A lot of changes have occurred in F1 over recent years that haven't really taken into account the wishes of fans," he acknowledged.

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