25/07/2012
NEWS STORY
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Mat Coch writes:
Discussions surrounding a new Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) are progressing, though there remains no indication as to when it will come in to affect.
Teams had originally instigated the agreement among themselves, monitored via FOTA by way of a gentleman's agreement. However as they continued to bicker - amongst other things suggesting that Red Bull had flaunted the RRA on route to its 2011 championship - it quickly became apparently that such self-policing was impossible.
The FIA has now been engaged to help build and enforce a new framework to be written into the sporting regulations. The new agreement is understood to cover a wide array of factors, specifically including chassis and engine management.
"I think it'll all depend on how the FIA proceeds on this and what position the FIA takes," Sauber's Monisha Kaltenborn explained. "At least ten out of twelve teams have requested the FIA to assist us in this and take certain responsibility in not only implementing what we have but also putting it together into something which you can police later on.
"The FIA readily accepted that responsibility. I think now it will just depend on what the FIA's prepared to do and there are different positions on that; what they can do, what they can't do in view of the situation where we are with Concorde Agreement and the future."
Over the German Grand Prix weekend it became apparent that despite Bernie Ecclestone's claims that a new Concorde Agreement is sorted it is in reality far from it. It's believed the FIA has concerns that not all of the teams have yet signed up. Delays with the Concorde Agreement are slowing progress on the Resource Restriction Agreement.
"I think there's some very good work being done, some excellent work being done on the chassis RRA," added Ross Brawn. "That's very close to be the broadly agreed position.
"The FIA want the engine RRA to be settled as well and bring the whole thing in as a complete package, engine and chassis," he continued. "There is still some time needed to finalise the agreements and positions, it seems to be progressing in a constructive way."