24/04/2020
NEWS STORY
The World Motor Sport Council has approved measures which will allow the FIA, under exceptional circumstances, to make "swift regulatory changes" by majority.
"In view of the unparalleled COVID-19 crisis, the FIA continues to make changes to its regulatory processes to mitigate the impact wherever possible and safeguard the sport for the future," said the sport's governing body in aa brief statement today.
"Therefore, in addition to previously announced changes to specific championship sporting and technical regulations, the World Motor Sport Council has now approved the introduction of a safeguard clause in the International Sporting Code.
"The safeguard clause will overcome the current requirement to obtain the unanimous agreement of all competitors to amend regulations within an individual FIA championship, cup, etc., allowing the FIA, under certain exceptional circumstances, to modify regulations with a shorter notice period and with the agreement of the majority of the competitors properly entered for the FIA championship, cup, etc. concerned."
The updated clause is as follows: 18.2.4 Shorter notice periods than those mentioned above may be applied, provided that the unanimous agreement of all Competitors properly entered for the Championship, cup, trophy, challenge or series concerned is obtained. However, in exceptional circumstances, and if the FIA considers that the change in question is essential for the safeguarding of the Championship, cup, trophy, challenge or series concerned, the agreement of the majority of the Competitors properly entered shall suffice.
The move comes at a time the teams are arguing over the introduction of a budget cap next season, the level at which is currently set at $150m.
While a number of teams want to see the cap lowered further still, Ferrari and Red Bull are against this, and are indeed pushing for a two-tier cap.
With the F1 group having essentially sold its biggest asset in order to raise a $1.4bn lifeline for itself and the teams, one would feel that the FIA will regard the setting of a budget cap as a "swift regulatory change" required to "safeguard the sport for the future".