The four small teams - Sauber, Force India, Marussia and Caterham - have been told to come up with their own suggestions in terms of cost cutting.

While little is understood to have come out of yesterday's meeting at Biggin Hill, it is understood that the threat of the European Union becoming involved in the sport once again has left several of the big teams, and the FIA, not to mention CVC, somewhat "rattled".

Ahead of a further meeting in Monaco, the representatives of the eleven teams, Bernie Ecclestone and Jean Todt, the four small teams expressed their anger and frustration at how the F1 Strategy Group was able to ride rough-shod over plans to introduce a cost cap in 2015 and the FIA's capitulation.

However, faced with the threat of the European Union's intervention, which, apart from anything else, could damage the FIA's hold on the sport and at the same time scupper CVC's plan to float it, the governing body has asked the smaller teams to go away and come up with some ideas in terms of how best to cut costs. It is understood Todt is looking for figures in the "tens of millions".

While hopes of having anything in place for 2015 look slim it is understood the EU threat has swung things back in favour of the smaller teams.

Among the proposals currently on the table is a standard issue active suspension together with the reduction in the number of gearboxes available, simplification of the front wings (yawn), lengthening curfews and further reducing staff numbers taken to races.

Chris Balfe

LATEST NEWS

more news >

LATEST IMAGES

galleries >

Click to go to the main galleries section

READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by Spindoctor, 06/05/2014 10:40

"More rules is not the solution. The more complex the rules the more expensive it is to circumvent \ exploit them, thus further disadvantaging poorer teams.

Like Ligier says, let the teams innovate within a relatively broadly defined framework that maintains the gains in safety over the last 30 years, and ditches all the pointless nit-picking. A return to the kind of formula that allowed (e.g.) Lotus, McLaren and Williams to grow from garagists to World Champions would be nice.

"

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

2. Posted by ligier26, 04/05/2014 11:44

"A cost cap can never work as it can't be policed. F1 has become far too prescriptive. Who cares about fuel flow rates or the different power train elements and associated penalties when they use too many? Why should every engine have to be a V6? Why do they have to be rev-limited? This is F1 after all. Let the small teams run a single car if that suits them financially. Allow them to have different title sponsors for each car if that makes financial sense. Get rid of the artificial gimmicks like DRS and stop all moves towards standard parts. Keep the rules simple, encourage and reward innovation instead of dumbing down a once great sport."

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

3. Posted by BentleyBoy, 02/05/2014 23:29

"Once again trying to save the sinking ship with a strip of Gaffa tape.
Fewer rules would encourage innovative thinking, smaller teams could think out of the box to give themselves an edge."

Rating: Neutral (0) Rate comment: Positive | NegativeReport this comment

Small teams told to come up with cost cutting ideas

LATEST NEWS

RELATED ARTICLES

LATEST IMAGES

POST A COMMENT

Post your comment

READERS COMMENTS

Share this page