Todt: No going back

09/03/2017
NEWS STORY

FIA President, Jean Todt, has dismissed any hope of the sport reverting to the engine formula of what many regard as 'the good old days', the days of screaming - or at least noisy - V12s, V10s or V8s.

"It will not be accepted by society," he told the FIA's Auto magazine. "We have a responsibility to run an organisation monitored by global society. And global society will not accept that.

"Indeed, I'm sure if you said, 'let's go back to engines from ten years ago', many manufacturers would not support such a move. I'm convinced a minimum of three out of four would leave.

"Also, we know that stability is essential, firstly, to have as much competition as possible, and then to protect the investment. You cannot invest in new technology every year, it is not financially sustainable, and we already complain about the cost of racing, the cost of Formula 1... a cost that for me is absurd."

Of course, many will argue that this is motor racing, that it should be loud and dirty, while the manufacturers will come and go whatever the formula. Indeed, so complicated are the new power units only the major manufacturers can participate, which is having an adverse effect on on-track competition.

Though the efficiency and - for the most part - the reliability of the units are something the sport should be immensely proud of, many argue that they do not represent the true spirit of the 'pinnacle of motorsport'.

The issue is not helped by the fact that looking beyond his Presidency, Todt clearly harbours senior political ambitions.

"When you see the emphasis that is put on climate change, on pollution, I feel we have the responsibility to participate," he says. "It is true, a Formula 1 race will create less pollution than one plane going from Paris to New York, but we must be an example. And to be an example we cannot allow ourselves to create unnecessary pollution because it's just the wrong image."

Looking ahead, the Frenchman talks of a future for motorsport where hydrogen engines and driverless cars could figure.

"I'm convinced that hydrogen will be a technology that will be used in the future," he said. "Maybe in five years the zero car in rallying will be a driverless car.

"Motor sport is changing, and will keep changing, but we must make sure that we keep the best ingredients together. That is one of our responsibilities, to decide not what we will do next year, but what Formula One should be in 2021, in 2030 - what rallying should be, what endurance racing should be. The heart of the sport will still be there but it has to take into consideration the evolution of society.”

It should also take into account that if it continues at its present rate, the humans won't only be missing from the driving seat of the cars, but from the grandstands and in front of the TVs.

It may be an exciting future for some, but for others it is a somewhat sterile and bleak.

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Published: 09/03/2017
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