14/10/2011
NEWS STORY
With teams still doubting one another's honesty in terms of spending, Ross Brawn claims that the Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) is at a crossroad.
"We're respecting the RRA but I think it's at a crossroads," the Englishman told reporters in Korea this morning, "I think it's at a crossroads because it's now starting to bite to those three or four teams who have to control their resource to comply.
"I think there's seven or eight teams for whom RRA means nothing," he continued, "because they're always going to be below the limit. Now we're at a stage where the targets that were set are starting to bite into the three or four teams and this is where it starts to get contentious and we haven't structured it well enough yet to have the controls and checks and reassurances in place that gives everybody comfort and that leads to the innuendo and accusations that get thrown around.
"We're total supporters of the idea of RRA," he added, "but for us, it has to be much more robust in how it's controlled, how it's monitored, how it's policed, because it is a performance differentiator.
"You can't deny that a team spending five million more each year will have an advantage over a team that doesn't do that, and therefore it has to be very well controlled, very strongly audited and it has to be done by a reference which is the same for all teams, otherwise we have no guarantee of parity."
"I think we have achieved quite a lot with RRA," added Martin Whitmarsh. "We are pretty good at focussing on issues and concerns but I think RRA has in the way we've restricted testing, the way we have restricted the number of operational personnel we have at the circuit, wind tunnel time, CFD time... I know that within our business the spirit and nature of conversations between engineers now, talking about efficiency, the need to do things with a finite level of discourse, I think that is a very healthy level of discussion, very healthy debate, and undeniably RRA has saved money and had been to the benefit of Formula One.
"Is it perfect?" he continued. "Will it ever be without contention, challenge, suspicion and paranoia? Almost certainly no. Just as technical regulations, sporting regulations, particularly if a team is doing very well or doing a good job it is always a more comfortable assumption to assume they have got a dodgy wing or they have got something else. I think that is the nature and spirit of Formula One. I think we have got to continue to work hard together as teams to see that we can make, improve and refine the RRA.
"I think it would be a shame for the teams to say this is so difficult, we'll walk away from it and we'll turn to a spend-what-you-like culture or spend-what-you-can-lay-your-hands-on culture within Formula One. It is not perfect, there are concerns.
"What I can say is that I have been reasonably involved with the process, there has been no evidence other than, if you like, the normal paddock gossip or accusation, but there has been no evidence of a breach of the RRA. Each of the teams and team principals continue to assure FOTA that they are abiding by the limitations that are contained within the Resource Restriction Agreement. Bear in mind that although, clearly, there is a lot of media interest we are doing this for one reason. We are doing it for ourselves. We are doing it for the sustainability of Formula One. It is not intended to be part of the show or the spectacle of Formula One. It is an internal process, but I understand people are interested in it and like to speculate if there is some controversy behind it, but certainly my view is it isn't perfect, there will always be challenge. I think we have got to improve it, I think we have got to work together to enhance trust and mutual respect in the process. Will we ever reach a stage where everyone is very comfortable, has no concern, no accusation? I doubt that, just as there isn't with technical regulations in my experience. But I think it has been the right thing for the sport and I think we have got to continue to persevere with it."
"I think that RRA has been a positive thing for Formula One, a positive thing for our business," added Christian Horner. "It's saved genuine cost, taking out testing cost, reducing engine costs to affordable levels, to all of the independent teams. Restrictions on personnel coming to the circuit, the ratio between CFD and wind tunnel time have all been hugely beneficial to driving costs down within the sport. Certainly for Red Bull to compete with teams such as Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, RRA is important with that.
"Now, inevitably there has probably been more speculation about our team than others," he continued, "inevitably with performance does come paranoia. Red Bull does favour the RRA being around, but in a way that's clear, tangible, policeable and encompasses all of what Formula One is rather than cherry-picking elements of it. I think that all of the teams would agree that the RRA, which came out of the back of the financial crisis at the end of 2008, beginning of 2009, has been the responsible thing to do for the sport and I think that the stage now is that, as the first agreement draws to a close next year, we focus on a new more workable, more transparent agreement for a longer duration potentially, that is clear for all to understand and that doesn't involve commenting or politicking. That's the most fundamental thing for us and hopefully in the latter months of this year, the teams will be able to achieve that."
"Christian commented, quite rightly, that the agreement's coming to an end," said Brawn, whose team has made a couple of high profile signings in recent weeks. "Well, we're working on an agreement that we thought we already had, which doesn't end for several years, and that's the problem that we have at the moment. We don't have complete unity on RRA and we have to have it, because Mercedes are total supporters of the concept of RRA but it has to be a fair and proper, correctly policed, correctly monitored, correctly audited system which is the same for everybody."