18/03/2009
NEWS STORY
Renault boss Flavio Briatore, a leading light in the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), has admitted concern at the FIA's latest proposals on cost cutting.
While Briatore has long championed the quest of cost cutting in F1, he questions the prospect of an optional £30m budget cap which would allow those teams that opt for it greater technical freedom.
"F1 should have the same car, the same rules, then the budget can be discussed," he told the BBC. "We need stability, but these changes are a bit of a shock."
Those teams that opt not to adopt the budget cap will have to endure far more technical restrictions with the likelihood being that that they might end up with a less competitive car than their thrifty rivals.
"This will need us to really sit together with the FIA to understand," he continued, "because the teams already did a big job to try and reduce the cost. Formula 1 is very complicated, you try reducing the cost and instead of reducing it the cost goes up.
"The financial crisis makes everyone worried and we need Formula 1 to be more efficient," he admitted, "but sometimes we are not happy with the sentences that are imposed."
The Italian talks with first hand experience, for not only will it lose its title sponsor ING at the end of the year, in light of the global financial crisis, which has particularly hit the car manufacturers, Renault is watching the situation with great concern, some fearing the French manufacturer could follow Honda's example and quit the sport. FIA President Max Mosley insists he not only wants to keep the manufacturers in F1, he wants to attract other manufacturers as well as smaller independent teams.
"The teams have already done an incredible job for 2009 and 2010," said Briatore. "We will do everything possible for 2011 and 2012 but it is not possible to change the world in one week."