The FIA World Motor Sport Council met in Paris today and has announced that it is having active discussions with the Formula 1 teams regarding cost control. Any amendments to the technical regulations, resulting from a further limit on expenditure on the chassis, will be submitted to the WMSC before June 30 and will then be subject to a fax vote. The World Council says that the intention of the FIA is to help all teams participate in the World Championship in a fair and equal manner.
The World Council also said that it is having “constructive Concorde Agreement discussions” with the Commercial Rights Holder, with the intention of finalising an agreement in the coming weeks. It was also decided that the deadline for the closing of entries for the Formula 1 World Championship will be deferred until September 30.
Following the granting of provisional recognition by the International Olympic Committee, the WMSC has now agreed the composition, objectives and structure of a Drivers’ Commission. In addition to a President and Vice President, drivers and co-drivers from across all disciplines of motor sport will be represented in a 10-member Commission to be proposed by the national sporting authorities.
Draft modifications to the FIA Statutes will be submitted to the WMSC in September with a view to being ratified at the next General Assembly.
Hi Joe, the following sentence:
“The World Council also said that it is having “constructive Concorde Agreement discussions” with the Commercial Rights Holder, with the intention of finalising an agreement in the coming weeks”
I take it this just relates to payments that would be made to the FIA and not the payments due to all the teams? Thanks.
Yes, although I do not believe Mercedes-Benz has agreed a deal as yet. And I can think of at least one team that would dearly like to have reached a deal.
So Joe,
What does all of this mean in real terms ?
Press releases from the FIA are not the most meaningful in the world
Damned if I know.
where’s the mole when you need him?!?
Sadly, The Mole has gone back to sleep. The number of readers was insufficient to warrant his time and effort. He knows that he has a lot of passionate fans, but he is a busy fellow. I will try to talk him back at the end of the season.
I’m very very sorry to hear that – his time and effort are hugely appreciated by his fans. I hope he wakes refreshed when something sparks his curiosity.
Hooray! I hated that long winded pointless writing style.
I say get some Mole poison and put the overrated rat out of business forever.
Gimme the facts, opinion and speculation without the pointless banter.
If you can’t see the point, don’t read it.
See you, Jimmy (English “goodbye” rather than Gaelic “hello” here…)
That’s a real shame
That would be a great news if The Mole was to come back and share with us his deep knowledge. Without talking about the delightful Penelopes, of course
Ach, what a shame. Understandable though, I know his schedule is almost as busy as yours! I look forward to seeing him again in the future.
I only came to know about the mole when he reappeared a few months ago but he will be sorely missed. Common sense, insider knowledge and humor is a mixture not often found in the world of F1 nowadays, at least not for us fans, I hope he resurfaces soon.
The Mole was what led me to grandprixplus.com (when he moved from the ITV F1 website) in the days when Joe wrote there, and hence to this blog, and then on to GP+. He is sorely missed and this last appearance was all too brief.
I’m sure he’s busy saving the Euro or Lotus or something to that effect, but I do hope he’s back soon.
ah bugger he was my second favourite source of f1 ramblings!
As long as he’s ok I guess…I was picturing him tied to a chair in a damp basement at Maranello, a car battery and aligator clips nearby.
Perhaps he could be persuaded to share his perception on current points of interest with the more discerning readers of Grand Prix + who appreciate his insight into F1 almost as much as yours
Just like The Mole to give such a plausible dull and workaday excuse like that! I hope you at least have your dead drop set up, in case . .
C’est la guerre, I suppose.
“The World Council says that the intention of the FIA is to help all teams participate in the World Championship in a fair and equal manner.”
What’s going on there then? The teams have never competed in either a fair or equitable manner. The playing field has always been tilted in favour of those with the most money. (Usually because Bernie gave them more, but more recently because they sell a lot of soft caffeinated drinks).
A cost control would give the major team a chance to extract profit from F1, however it is most unlikely to succeed (if at all) for more that a short period before it is realised that there is no way to track or trace all expenditure on a live basis (Forensic accountants or not), sure it may eventually be possible to say that two years ago a team spent X amount, but that is of no use.
A driver’s commission too! That could get dangerously near an outward appearance of everyone having an equal voice in the business. (What with the circuits having set up FOPA) But in reality it will still be Bernie and the invisible.
Sorry Joe off subject, maybe move or delete but this tends to alter my view of Bahrain again.
http://www.aljazeera.com//news/middleeast/2012/06/20126147542770730.html
I guess the guys you met over there will be equally appalled at this.
Of course the headline is ‘Medics Jailed’ – but they omit what for. One was for stealing blood, and using it to daub on protestors to invent injuries or make ones look worse than they were. Is that true? Who knows. I don’t believe anything I hear on the news any more, from either side. meh.
Thank heaven for Le Mans, nothing to do with the FIA and better for it.
Except it is part of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
doh! Of course…. Do you go to Le Mans, given it’s proximity to Paris and the fact is doesn’t conflict with F1 (i think!) ??
Use to go, but nowadays I try to have a life as well
Joe – Am I right in thinking that The Commercial Rights Holder sits on The World Council? And who else is on it, besides JT of course. I seem to remember your mate VJ has a seat, or did I imagine that?
President Jean TODT (F)
Deputy President Graham STOKER (UK)
Vice-Presidents José ABED (MEX)
Mohamed BEN SULAYEM (UAE)
Michel BOERI (MC)
Morrie D. CHANDLER (NZ)
Enrico GELPI (I)
Carlos GRACIA FUERTES (E)
Surinder THATTHI (EAT)
Members Garry CONNELLY (AUS)
Nicolas DESCHAUX (FR)
Vassilis DESPOTOPOULOS (GR)
Luis Pinto de FREITAS (P)
Zrinko GREGUREK (HR)
Victor KIRYANOV (RUS)
Henry KRAUSZ (DOM)
Vijay MALLYA (IND)
Hugo R. MERSAN (PY)
Radovan NOVAK (CZ)
Lars ÖSTERLIND (S)
Vincenzo SPANO (YV)
Teng Lip TAN (SGP)
Heping WAN (CN)
CIK President Sheikh Abdulla BIN ISA KHALIFA (Bahrain)
President of the FOM Bernard ECCLESTONE
President of the
Manufacturers’ Commission François CORNELIS *
* This seat is taken by a Ferrari representative when F1 is under discussion
Thanks for that.
Where is the representative for the United States, the country which has the most motorists in the world and soon to have two GP’s?
The AAA left the FIA. The USA is represented at the FIA by the head of ACCUS, Nick Craw, who is President of the FIA Senate.
I notice from Nick Craw’s CV that he had a two-year stint as Director of the US Peace Corps – I’m sure the experience comes in handy occasionally.
No USA representative Joe – why’s that do you think? Or have I missed something?
Oh and another question (sorry, last one for today). Given that this has come a couple of days after Luca di M talking about cutting costs (though presumably with a view to killing the V6 turbo plan), I was led to wonder: what is the personal/proffessional relationship like these days between Luca and JT? Not suggesting for a moment that JT would ever exhibit any bias towards (or for that matter against) his former employer, but just curious given the many layers of F1 politics at the moment
“….recognition by the International Olympic Committee,…” That caught my eye.
What expertise does any olympic committee bring to the table in this regard?
Thanks
Cred
A fax vote??!!
It just shows how far removed from reality the people in the ivory towers of the FIA
are to be using fax voting!
Meanwhile the WRC is being killed off by FIA bad management.
Maybe Todt is in the wrong job?
I think they use fax, as opposed to email, because it is more difficult to fake/forge.
Not really difficult to forge a fax header, all the settings on the fax are put in by the user, header name, phone number etc etc.
They use fax as it is a written vote rather than verbal. Few use telex these days which was acceptable as a legal document, faxes are not.
A fax is a legal document an email isn’t. last day of the football transfer window has fax machines whizzing away all over the world.
So I think this means idy racing coming to F-1, boring.
Actually, jo6pac, there’s a brilliant idea in there somewhere… What about a long-term integration of engine rules between F1 and Indycar? Wouldn’t that help to globalise the technology transfer, get US teams into F1, and bridge the great divide? Maybe I am way behind, but it seems to make sense to me. I expect it would make sense to Craig Pollock as well.
I would like to think your right on the transfer idea but Indycar owners are slow on the uptake of Safety. This might speed it up but I doubt it.
Joe do you have a contact info for Craig Pollock, I looked on the net for a web site but didn’t find anything. Thanks in advance to who ever helps.
Why do Ferrari drivers run into big cars on the straightway at Le Mans?
A wee bit of googling came up with http://www.purecorp.org
Thank you, I looked and looked but never came near this.
Thanks Again.
Joe, Is it certain that Mercedes-Benz will sign the new Concorde Agreement? Or is there a big threat that they might decide to leave F1?
They are not going to leave F1
So why the delay in signing the new Concorde agreement? Heard the board of Mercedes aint happy with there F1 project
Given that we now have several Spec Series near F1 level is there a chance we might have an Olympic GP at some point? Drivers these days need to be athletes so it wouldn’t be against Olympic ethics. It could be a hybrid or electric formula if that made the greens happy.
I think that apart from cost control, there also has to be more emphasis on the development of of technology that is transferable to production cars. I think the argument that this is of more intetest to the likes of Mercedes/Fiat is a bit weak, as technology can be transferred in a transaction between any two or more counterparties. If anything, I see opportunities to reduce costs by developing technology that has earnings potential outside racing.
I agree with Ferrari that aerodynamics play too big a role today. Similarly I think it is silly that Pirelli have been mandated to produce tyres that are designed to degrade quickly. I am thrilled to bits by the racing it has resulted in, but can’t help think there must be a more responsible way to achieve similar levels of excitement.
Such as restricting the size of fuel tanks and allowing refueling pit stops – result, different strategies on consumption of fuel and more public focus on fuel efficiency. Maybe there should also be a mention in the performance stats over the season of the cumulative fuel consumption in litres, and an extra award. Would be good for the oil sponsors and could even increase interest for the female sex who might relate more with a sport that is not just macho. Just my 2 cents.