|
 Past Strategy Group meetings, each billed as increasingly 'crucial',
have rarely lived up to even modest expectations.
"We might change the date of the next meeting. Possibly. I’m not
sure. It’s not easy to get decisions made," commercial supremo
Bernie Ecclestone told Reuters when asked what might be achieved
this time.
Leaving aside the 84-year-old's cynicism, Formula One has major
challenges to address including soaring costs, struggling teams,
falling viewing figures in some regions and a failure to engage a
younger audience.
Ferrari are among those to have called for a rules 'revolution' from
2017, with bigger, louder and more affordable engines in faster and
more fearsome cars.
More immediately, there will be a vote on whether to increase the
engine allocation for this season from four per driver back to the
five they had last year -- with some teams opposed.
The Strategy Group meeting at Biggin Hill in southern England
includes six teams -- Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams
and Force India -- as well as the governing FIA and commercial
rights holder.
"Every meeting is crucial," FIA president Jean Todt told Reuters at
the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend.
"We know there are some things to assess. And I hope we will be able
to have a good agenda and come with good proposals and decisions to
submit to the F1 commission and then to the world council.
"I hate reacting to ‘this one says this, this one says that’," he
added when the various standpoints were put to him. "So we will have
all the different stakeholders around the table and it will be a
proper opportunity to speak about everything.
[to top of second column] |
"A lot of work has been done, we have been doing some working
groups, an enquiry with an external consultant, with the technical
and sporting people, so I think we will have a quite clear situation
to discuss about."
The increased engine allocation proposal already looks doomed,
however, with Mercedes-powered Williams and Force India against it
on grounds of cost and a reluctance to help Renault-powered rivals
Red Bull in the championship battle.
Red Bull and McLaren, whose partners Honda have also had reliability
problems, are in favor.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ken Ferris)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
