09/03/2021
NEWS STORY
FIA president, Jean Todt insists that initiatives aimed at spicing up F1 must not "denature" the sport.
Almost from the moment it got control of the sport, Liberty Media has been seeking ways in which to give Formula 1 - widely regarded as the pinnacle of motor sport - more pizazz.
First came the little things, like the logo and theme tune (anthem), while this year sees the introduction of a budget cap, to be followed in 2022 by a wide-ranging overhaul of the rules.
Though its push for reverse grids got the red flag, the sport is still trying to get the green light for sprint races that would decide the grid order for Sunday afternoons.
Speaking to the Cambridge Union, Jean Todt has admitted that he is in favour of ideas aimed at spicing up the action, but not at the cost of compromising F1's DNA.
"If we can find, and we are trying to do that, innovative ways of creating more excitement, a better show, we will do it but not at the cost of damaging the sport," said the Frenchman.
"There is the intention to have a kind of ‘super qualifying' at two or three Grands Prix already starting this year," he continued. "So we are happy to do something, but we don't want to denature the sport."
In terms of reverse grids, the former Ferrari boss admits that he was never in favour of the idea.
"Why I'm against reverse grids is because it is artificial," he said. "In a race weekend you spend two days to be as competitive as possible, to have a good starting position, so why if you are the quickest should you start at the back of the grid?
"It would be completely against the interest of the sport, against the nature of the sport," he argued.
Describing the budget cap as a "game changer", he said: "We did that in three steps, this year it is $145m, next year will be $140m and the year after will be $135m, without including the engine development and some other parameters which are well defined and listed.
"Clearly the cost cap is affecting mainly three teams," he admitted, "Mercedes, Red Bull and Ferrari. The other seven are not hurt today by the cost cap, so whether it means it will create less discrepancy between the small, medium and big teams, you don't achieve that very easily.
"It means you need to get rid of quite a lot of people to follow the cost cap regulation, so it takes a certain time. But I will say the first step to decide and implement it has been done, and it is a great success."
Looking ahead to the coming season, he said: "We can only hope that there will be more competition in the future. Not only for Ferrari, but it's good to see Red Bull being able to challenge Mercedes, to see Max Verstappen being able to challenge Lewis Hamilton."