10/09/2011
NEWS STORY
Amongst the usual dignitaries and VIPs at Monza is one guest who has never visited a Formula One race before - Randy Bernard, the chief executive of IndyCar.
Pitpass understands that Bernard is a guest of none other than Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali and, what's more, since taking over IndyCar's driving seat in March last year, he has had meetings with every F1 team principal as well as the sport's boss Bernie Ecclestone. Although Bernard has never visited an F1 race before, his series has been the subject of much discussion in the sport this year.
In June, Ron Walker (pictured), chairman of the Australian Grand Prix said that 17 F1 race promoters would leave if the new greener engine which is being introduced in 2014 does not run to 18,000rpm and sound the same as the current model. Walker added that IndyCar would be the beneficiary since the circuits' plan would be to switch to it from F1. Pitpass' business editor Christian Sylt met Bernard in London on Wednesday night at the same restaurant where the IndyCar boss dined with McLaren's executive chairman Ron Dennis. Understandably Bernard is excited at the news about the F1 promoters' interest in IndyCar. "I love it," he said.
Walker was elected the de facto representative of the promoters and he stressed they are deadly serious about their threat. He put their complaint in writing to the FIA and since making the threat the specification of the new engine has changed significantly. The cars were due to run on electric power only in the pitlane from 2014 but last month Ecclestone exclusively confirmed that this plan has been scrapped due to the risks from the lack of sound.
Walker says that "Bernie is absolutely correct - the introduction of this system would put lives at risk and do nothing to sell tickets in the grandstands or general admission area. The circuits would absolutely oppose this as they are fervently opposing any change to the sound of the engines, if and when the 1.6 litre engine is introduced."
Scrapping electric power in the pitlane isn't the only change to the 2014 engine specification which has been made since the promoters made their threat. Its size has been increased from four to six cylinders with the rev limit increasing from 12,000rpm to 15,000rpm. This still hasn't pacified the promoters.
"It will not cost one extra dollar to take the revs up to 18,000...The circuits stand absolutely united on this issue and will not bend to pressure," says Walker adding that earlier this month he wrote to both Red Bull and Ferrari asking them to also "plead a final case on behalf of the promoters to change the specified maximum rpm to 18,000, thus preserving the sound of F1."
It was thought that the 2014 engine specification was going to be discussed further at the next F1 Commission meeting in Singapore but Walker says that this meeting will not be taking place. Instead, he says that the FIA's World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) meeting "will proceed on Wednesday 21 September in Singapore and I am reliably informed the final debate on the new engine for 2014 will take place at that meeting."
He adds that "the promoters are urging the WMSC to rethink their position in a very serious way because of the potential of ruining the brand and noise of F1 as we know it today, and therefore change the specification to 18,000 rpm."
Summarising the promoters' concerns, Walker says that "the WMSC has to understand that the circuits will not accept any engine that is less than 18,000rpm, so they have to think more about the plight of the circuits in selling tickets, and not just go on an environmental bender." At this rate, IndyCar could be getting an early Christmas present come 21 September.