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[EwanM]

Briatore says F1 needs an overhaul

By Michele Lostia and Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, July 29th 2008, 11:16 GMT


Renault team boss Flavio Briatore believes Formula One needs an overhaul in order to satisfy the fans and get the teams to have a bigger say.

The Italian also feels the sport is hurting due to Max Mosley focusing on his personal problems.

"His absence is felt as there's no project for F1. The teams feel abandoned," Briatore told Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper.

Speaking about the issues Formula One is facing, Briatore said: "The Concorde agreement, the number of races, the costs, the spectacle, the imperative increase of revenues. Formula One needs to be re-designed.

"I feel that it should be down to the teams to decide, by electing in turns a director of operations. A guy who does things, not a PR person.

"On top of that, we need to decide with a 51% majority, not unanimously like now, otherwise we'll carry on being stuck."

He added: "Nowadays Ecclestone takes 50% of all revenues, but we are supposed to be able to reduce our costs by 50%.

"How? Starting from the engines. Making them more environment-friendly, accepting Mosley's challenge of reducing fuel consumption by 50% by 2015, while cutting the high costs of the engine themselves and also cutting the staff.

"The problem is that us, Renault, have stuck to the letter of the current regulations on frozen engines, and we've been buggered: others didn't do that and are far ahead, while we suffer. It's not fair."

Briatore and the rest of team principals and other officials will meet today in Maranello to discuss the future of the sport.

[Martin]

Well the FIA definitely needs an major overhaul.

Much of what 'Flav' says sounds right. Bernie must accept less if the teams are to spend less.
Mosely / FIA & Ferrari are the most pressing issues at the moment I would say.
Flav does mention that the fans need to be satisfied, this is the first time I have ever heard a team principal acknowledge how important the fans are to the sport.
However, how does anyone (FIA, Teams, Management) know what the fans want? do they ever ask? - not in my experience, the only way that they may do it now is to follow forums like this, but I somehow doubt that they do.

[keihanna]

The points from Flav are great, we need a good race rather than boring and car parade around circuit... Personally, I do not agree in engine freeze, it makes the game dull and boring, engineers have limited works to exploit, what they do now mostly aerodynamics and aerodynamics... that what's F1 is so boring nowadays, just like the TC make the MotoGP looks bad.

[Martin]

The points from Flav are great, we need a good race rather than boring and car parade around circuit... Personally, I do not agree in engine freeze, it makes the game dull and boring, engineers have limited works to exploit, what they do now mostly aerodynamics and aerodynamics... that what's F1 is so boring nowadays, just like the TC make the MotoGP looks bad.

I am surprised that you find F1 so boring these days. There has been a few years recently when it has been a bit processional, but I find that this year has been great so far. F1 is not just about what goes on on the circuit on raceday, its also about the strategies and tactics used by the whole team.
As I have said, some of Flavs ideas seem good and would improve things but I still think that an F1 race weekend is one of, if not, THE , best sporting weekends in the world.

[przemo]

Teams set up body to work on new F1 deal

By Pablo Elizalde Tuesday, July 29th 2008, 16:43 GMT

Formula One teams have agreed to set up a new association that will work with the FIA and Formula One Management to come up with a new Concorde Agreement.

Representatives from all teams, as well as Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and CVC's managing partner Donald McKenzie met today at Ferrari's headquarters in Maranello to discuss the future of the sport.

Ferrari said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that the meeting had been "extremely constructive".

The Italian squad also revealed all F1 squads agreed to set up the new Formula One Teams Association, a body that will work on finalising the commercial conditions and rules of the new Concorde Agreement.

"All the Formula One teams met today in Maranello and held an extremely constructive meeting, in the presence of Bernie Ecclestone and Donald McKenzie," said Ferrari in a statement.

"The teams have subsequently agreed unanimously that they will establish the new Formula One Teams Association to work with the FIA and FOM to agree upon regulations and commercial conditions which will provide a framework for a strong and dynamic sport."
linky

They want to be independent of Mosley now and make the rules themselves. Isn't FIA supposed to only enforce rules and not make them?

[McLaren Fan]

Formula One never had a superabundance of overtaking, with the possible exceptions of the 1950s and 60s. How all this talk about Formula One being boring in the last ten years surfaced I'm not sure. Perhaps it's because drivers tended to be more charismatic in the past and their personal qualities affected their enjoyment of the sport. Since then, all sports have become more serious. Perhaps it's because the tracks have got more drab in the last ten years, with the exciting, old-fashioned circuits being tamed or replaced by newer, more bland ones. Most likely, it's a combination of things.

Generally speaking, Briatore is right. Formula One needs a shake-up from top to bottom and has done so for a very long time. Even before Mosley started his campaign to get the teams to spend less money, the share of the pie Ecclestone was getting was always far too large. Thankfully, we've got by in the past, but now, because of Mosley's campaign and his move to make Formula One a more "green" sport, Ecclestone has to accept less money. Not only is this an issue, but the FIA must be cleaned up. For too long now we have seen some ludicrously inconsistent and blatantly biased decisions being made that have tarnished the name of the sport. What's the point of watching a sport which cannot stop the President of its governing body putting his personal vendettas and patriotism ahead of the championships being settled on the track? Why is it fair that certain drivers and teams are punished or hindered to boost the viewing figures for the season's finale? This is one of the reasons why people have become sick of Formula One. Briatore is also correct to say that unanimity being required before something can be done has to go. As we've seen with Ferrari, one team can stunt the development of the sport so that its own interests are looked after. The engine development freeze was a major own goal by Mosley. Teams could have been developing greener engines or fuels to power them, but instead cars are going round in ancient, highly inefficient powerplants.

[McLaren Fan]

They want to be independent of Mosley now and make the rules themselves. Isn't FIA supposed to only enforce rules and not make them?

I think the FIA are in charge of anything technical, so that would include making and enforcing the rules. Today's meeting basically shows that the teams want more of a say in the FOM and FIA's territories. Both Ecclestone and Mosley will not be happy about this. Perhaps we'll see them uniting once again to combat the teams!

[al4x]

i think briatore is rright, he does often make good comments

the teams and the fans should have the bigest say, not bernie, max, fia etc

how many of there recentt decisions/escapades have been popular?

[7UpJordan]

I find it surprising that the teams don't get a say, especially as there's already the GPDA for the drivers. Flavio is right and I'm sure people like himself, Ron, Sir Frank and co would have some good ideas to put forward (except Flavio's own sprit race and feature race idea he came up with last year!).

[Rivelution]

The grid’s 10 squads have agreed to set up a Formula 1 Teams Association to provide a forum to discuss how the sport will operate in future.

Ferrari issued a statement announcing that the new organisation would be formed following what it called a "very constructive" meeting at its Maranello base on Tuesday between all teams, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and Donald McKenzie from the sport’s commercial rights owners CVC Capital Partners.

It said the new body will work with the FIA and Formula One Management towards establishing a new Concorde Agreement and future rules in the sport.

“All the Formula 1 teams met today in Maranello and held an extremely constructive meeting, in the presence of Bernie Ecclestone and Donald McKenzie,” the statement read.

“The teams have subsequently agreed unanimously that they will establish the new Formula 1 Teams Association to work with the FIA and FOM to agree upon regulations and commercial conditions which will provide a framework for a strong and dynamic sport.”

The Maranello meeting was called in response to a letter from FIA president Max Mosley earlier this month in which he asked the teams to come up with proposals for a radical shake-up of the rules from 2011.

Mosley said the aim should be to halve the costs of manufacturer teams, reduce fuel consumption and improve the racing.

[przemo]

Formula One never had a superabundance of overtaking, with the possible exceptions of the 1950s and 60s. How all this talk about Formula One being boring in the last ten years surfaced I'm not sure. Perhaps it's because drivers tended to be more charismatic in the past and their personal qualities affected their enjoyment of the sport. Since then, all sports have become more serious. Perhaps it's because the tracks have got more drab in the last ten years, with the exciting, old-fashioned circuits being tamed or replaced by newer, more bland ones. Most likely, it's a combination of things.

Maybe because more money is involved

Briatore is also correct to say that unanimity being required before something can be done is the way to go. As we've seen with Ferrari, one team can stunt the development of the sport so that its own interests are looked after. The engine development freeze was a major own goal by Mosley. Teams could have been developing greener engines or fuels to power them, but instead cars are going round in ancient, highly inefficient powerplants.

Actually, Briatore said he doesn't want unanimity to be required, as it is now, so that they are not stuck, because one team said 'no'. But I think he wants the teams to have more say about the regulations.

I think the FIA are in charge of anything technical, so that would include making and enforcing the rules.

But don't they also say how high teams' budgets are, what the calendar looks like, etc. He wants the teams to decide on that too.

Today's meeting basically shows that the teams want more of a say in the FOM and FIA's territory.

I agree completely.

[McLaren Fan]

Actually, Briatore said he doesn't want unanimity to be required, as it is now, so that they are not stuck, because one team said 'no'.

Typo. Sorry.

[racechick]

i think briatore is rright, he does often make good comments

the teams and the fans should have the bigest say, not bernie, max, fia etc

how many of there recentt decisions/escapades have been popular?

Yes the teams should have much more say but i wouldnt trust Briatore as far as I could throw him. He's out of the same moul as Jean Todt and max mosely-looks after number1.

[F1racer]

The points from Flav are great, we need a good race rather than boring and car parade around circuit... Personally, I do not agree in engine freeze, it makes the game dull and boring, engineers have limited works to exploit, what they do now mostly aerodynamics and aerodynamics... that what's F1 is so boring nowadays, just like the TC make the MotoGP looks bad.

You complain about a parade and then rue the engine freeze? Wow, you really are clueless...

[bud]

The points from Flav are great, we need a good race rather than boring and car parade around circuit... Personally, I do not agree in engine freeze, it makes the game dull and boring, engineers have limited works to exploit, what they do now mostly aerodynamics and aerodynamics... that what's F1 is so boring nowadays, just like the TC make the MotoGP looks bad.

You complain about a parade and then rue the engine freeze? Wow, you really are clueless...

Wow, explain your superior outlook then!!!