10/03/2016
NEWS STORY
Pat Symonds has warned that the delay in agreeing new rules for 2017 will work against small teams.
Last week, the FIA confirmed that the deadline in agreeing new rules for 2017 will be extended until the end of April, this followed a number if inconclusive meeting involving the sport's powers-that-be, the teams and even drivers.
Confirming the latest deadline extension, the FIA said: "This will allow all stakeholders the best opportunity to finalise all relevant work – especially with regard to Power Unit regulations focusing on the four key areas of supply cost, obligation to supply, performance convergence, and further improvement of noise."
At the same time, the sport's governing body confirmed that the WMSC had at least approved the 2017 bodywork regulations proposed by the F1 Commission, revealing that that early simulations have indicated an improvement in lap time by approximately 4-5 seconds on most circuits.
Nonetheless, Williams technical boss Pat Symonds is concerned that the delay will simply favour the bigger, wealthier teams and work against their smaller rivals.
"If by February 29 we decided what the rules were for 2017 then I'd say: 'well, it's quite late but everyone has got time to do it'," he told the official F1 website. "If it goes on to May 1 then I think that this gives a very big advantage to the big teams. They have bigger resources in terms of both money and manpower.
"So we are getting to a point where the rules aren't the same for everyone," he added. "Or the effects of the rules aren't the same for everyone.
"We've got a set of regulations, aerodynamic regulations, on the table which are okay," he admitted, "but not much more than that.
"To be honest it is quite difficult at this very moment to say where it'll all end up. There are different ideas as to what's required. I always expressed that I don't mind what the rules are as long as they are the same for everybody. That is what matters."