Still no agreement on cost reduction
While they had until June 30 to agree on a cost reduction for 2013, the Formula 1 teams have reportedly failed to reach an agreement. The FIA has therefore decided to give them until July 24 to come to an agreement, but this does not seem certain.
The Formula 1 teams met several times in June with the FIA to decide on new measures to reduce costs starting from the 2013 season. The deadline for an agreement was set for June 30, but no agreement could be reached.
However, the teams were given an additional deadline to reach an agreement on July 24, as the goal of June 30 was to amend the sporting regulations without needing the consent of all the teams. Indeed, after this date, any regulation change for 2013 will now require unanimous agreement from all 12 teams.
The two teams owned by Red Bull, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso, would oppose the proposals from other teams, as these two entities would like more elements to be integrated into the RRA – cost reduction agreement, as Franz Tost told the official Formula 1 website: “We agree that costs need to be reduced – and Toro Rosso complies with the RRA because the fact is that we are under the limits regarding the number of employees and expenses. The problem I see at the moment is that we are only talking about the RRA concerning the chassis. No one is talking about the real costs we face – the new engine, the new powertrain, the new aero system, and the new batteries. In 2014, the new engine regulations will come in, but no one is talking about having an RRA in this area even though that is where the real costs will be. At Toro Rosso, we say we need to have an RRA that encompasses everything or nothing. That is our point of view.”
Overall, the teams agree on implementing a more significant cost reduction, as it is vital for the future of Formula 1, as Norbert Haug, the head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, told Autosport: “It cannot simply be a matter of expenses. Look at us: we spent three times more on F1 in 2005 than in 2010. Whether it concerns the engine, aerodynamics, or something else, reducing costs is vital for the future of F1.”
Vijay Mallya, the boss of the Sahara Force India team, agrees with Norbert Haug and believes that an agreement on cost reduction is essential for F1: «The concept of RRA is a necessity if Formula 1 wants to survive in the long term. It must also offer a level playing field. Look at how exciting this season is. We’ve had 7 winners and only one driver with two victories (he was speaking before the Silverstone race, editor’s note), which is fantastic. The four big teams are falling back, and midfield teams are reaching the podium. For the fans, it’s fantastic compared to a predictable season where one team or driver always wins. A level playing field will ensure that this trend continues. Therefore, resource restriction is important, and the FIA has now taken it upon itself to create rules aimed at restricting resources.»
Eric Boullier, the director of the Lotus F1 team, believes that a good agreement must be found, regardless of whether it is found after the deadline set by the FIA: “It’s good that everyone in the paddock understands that we need to think carefully about the future of F1. But we must make the right decision, and we are not going to risk making a hasty decision that we might regret. We have already made some decisions in the past that cost us money today; and could cost us even more in the future. So we must ensure that we are going in the right direction.”
An agreement still seems difficult between the teams, as while they all generally agree on the need to reduce costs, their opinions differ on how to achieve this. For example, according to *Auto Motor und Sport*, Lotus and Force India would be against a reduction in possible wind tunnel testing. Midfield teams are also concerned about the potential cost generated by the introduction of the new 1.6L V6 Turbo engine in 2014 and the associated energy recovery systems.
With the additional time granted by the FIA, this could mean that if two-thirds of the teams agree on a measure, it could be integrated into the 2013 regulations if validated by the FIA World Motor Sport Council. However, according to Autosport, this deadline could even be pushed back to September 30 if necessary, as that’s when the registration for the 2013 Formula 1 World Championship will close.
