Max Mosley, the long-standing head of Formula One’s governing body, the FIA, has given the first clear indication he may look to stay in office after his current term expires in October 2009.
Mosley confirmed he intends to see through a series of reforms of the sport, which include capping the teams’ budgets at what could be a much lower level than had previously been anticipated, and using the mechanical expertise within the sport to develop “green” technologies with applications beyond F1.
Talks with the teams on the introduction of a budget cap for 2009 began last week, but while Mosley acknowledges it will be necessary to start “on the high side” and bring the cap down year by year, he has not previously mentioned any figures, other than to say he wants it to be possible for a “medium-sized team to be run at a profit”.
“One of the big manufacturers said if we can get the budgets down, so they are not having to spend €200m, but €50m or less, they’d be in the sport for ever,” said Mosley. “But if they keep on having to spend big, they have to be winning, and clearly they can’t all win.”
Reductions on that sort of scale would be regarded with alarm within the sport. Ferrari are believed to have spent around £215m last season. Toyota, considered to be the top spenders, had a budget of closer to £250m.
“It’s absurd that teams spend vast amounts scratching around for tiny gains,” said Mosley. “Running wind-tunnels night and day, using huge amounts of power, to find a tenth of a second can’t be justified. That’s what’s so sad about F1 at the moment.
“But thinking of something really clever which doesn’t cost a lot of money is one of the skills of engineering. The attraction for me of the cap is that it gives you the maximum freedom without giving you the maximum budget.”
Mosley also made clear he will not go before “hugely exciting” new technologies have been successfully, and irreversibly, introduced into the sport. “[Before retiring] I absolutely want to see KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery System) working, and to see a clear path to coming up with an ultra-modern high-tech engine for 2013,” Mosley said.
Put at its simplest, KERS improves an engine’s efficiency by storing energy lost by the car during deceleration, and releasing it when the car accelerates again. Last December, the FIA put a 10-year freeze on F1 engine development, subsequently reduced to five years, while requiring them to include an energy recovery element from next season.
“Technologies such as this will make it easier for the F1-friendly people in the big manufacturers to justify their continued involvement in the sport, because if it accelerates the introduction into road cars, then obviously it’s good for society, and very, very good for the manufacturers,” said Mosley.
He also warned that tyres may be the next area for reform. “Teams are supposed to reduce downforce on their cars by 50% for 2009, which should make overtaking much easier. All that complex bodywork works very well in still air, but once in another car’s slipstream, it doesn’t work. But I’ve seen it all before, and I’m deeply suspicious the 50% won’t be 50% when the time comes. But because we control the tyres, we can just reduce the grip. I can say to Bridgestone, ‘Make them harder’. If we went far enough with that, the cars would start sliding around again.”
A presidential term lasts four years, so if Mosley, who is 67, is reelected in 2009 – and assuming he stands, he would probably be returned unopposed – he would serve until 2013. He first became president in 1993, and there had been speculation he would leave before the end of his current term but he is in a strong position.
Last year the FIA, and Mosley in particular, were the focus of sustained criticism after fining McLaren Mercedes £50m and removing their constructors’ points when secret Ferrari data was found not just to have been in the possession of the Woking-based team, but to have been widely disseminated among its engineers.
Much of the criticism focused on the fact that the FIA did not subsequently punish Renault when the French team admitted coming into possession of McLaren data, but McLaren’s subsequent formal apology, and evidence suggesting the Renault offence was relatively minor, have increased Mosley’s authority.
“Provided I remain relatively sane I won’t quit before October 2009; beyond that I have to think very, very carefully,” said Mosley. “There is a tendency to stay a little bit too long, especially when things seem to be going relatively well. But this is a sport which you almost certainly have to conclude works best with one person capable of taking a decision. A disinterested person, capable of understanding the issues, with very good advisors and prepared to listen to everybody, with absolute separation from the judiciary.
“I don’t mind flak – I come from a family where we have had flak all our lives – but I realise some people do. I love reading the blogs when they are being furious about me, it’s very entertaining, and there is the odd one which defends me. But F1 simply cannot divorce itself from the zeitgeist.”
Max Mosley, is a bad joke the man should leave. But F1 isn't a sport. I really hate this man.
Jane, London, England
Mosley complains that F1 teams are scratching around to find the 1/10 second gains - surely the ridiculous number of regulations saying what the teams can't do has forced them into the situation. One team tries extra winglets or flexible foils, then they get banned - he can't have it both ways, stifling innovation on one hand and complaining about the amount of money spent on the other.
To put in my penniesworth, I think carbon fibre should be banned from all areas except the safety tub as that would reduce costs hugely, plus it would be much safer as the risk of punctures after a crash would be reduced if they went back to alloy wings and suspension parts.
Penarthur, Cardiff, UK
As one of the mjor reasons that ticker prices are so high is the amount that racing circuits are charged by Bernie Ecclestone to put them on, I suggest that it wouldn't be that diffcult to get things sorted out.
David Leslie, Perth, Scotland
Sure Mosley has been around the sport forever and I don't dispute his intelligence. Neither he nor Ecclestone own the sport all though their commitment and skill may well have saved it. They still don't own it. We, the fans own it and our collective values will ultimately see off Max and Bernie. Both are old men and in need of a holiday. Perhaps all the old farts should bugger off. Ken and Harvey died, Brabham retired and now time for Max, Bernie, Frank,Ron, Sir Jackie etc to drive off into the night and let younger people take it from here.
AJPreston, Brisbane,
I've been a Formula 1 fan since seeing the movie, "Grand Prix" in 1967. I even extended my tour in Vietnam by a month so I could take my home leave in October so I could attend the USGP at Watkins Glen. During the 12 years I lived in Los Angeles I would drag myself out of bed at 0400 so I could watch the races live. If "Mad Max" Mosley gets his way, that's the end of my interest in F1.
One of the attractions of F1 has been the "damn the cost, full speed ahead" approach to racing. Now Idiot Max wants budget caps and "green" cars. Frankly, I could not care less about the "green" movement. I drive a big stonking V8 that gets maybe 15 MPG and keep my AC set at 68 during the summer. If I can afford it, why shouldn't I?
Max the Stupid wants to turn Formula 1 into the Indy Racing League minus Danica Patrick. If this happens, I'll snooze in on Sundays and watch NASCAR or figure skating. Well, maybe not figure skating...
It was great fun while it lasted.
Mike Parker, Fort Lauderdale, Florida USA
F1 going green is about as much use as a chocolate teapot. F1 has got to be one of the the least envoronmentally friendly sports there is, and thats how it should stay. Mosely (dont like the guy anyway) is just playing to the greenys and trying to win a popularity contest, which considering his heritage, isnt surprising. He is going to ruin F1 with all this capping nonsense. He admits himself that F1 developments eventually materialise into the real world of car production but that will happen less and less if the big-boys have £100mil less to spend on design and innovation. If there was a vote he certainly wont get mine!
spezzer, bristol, uk
good on ya Max.....im on your side!! :)
Racehound, London,