CAREY: PREVIOUS REGIME WAS CRAPPING ON THE SPORT

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey has sharply criticised what he saw as the negative mindset of the sport’s previous ownership under Bernie Ecclestone, indicating their attitude only damaged the marketability of their product. 

Carey, replaced Ecclestone as part of Liberty Media’s takeover of F1 in January 2017, suggested that the former supremo and his cohorts were far too content to criticise without offering any solutions.

“There were things that the sport needed to get on top of that it hasn’t,” he told Autosport, using rising costs as an example of an issue his predecessors failed to address.

Additionally, he highlighted Ecclestone’s scornful reception to the introduction of V6 hybrid-turbo engines in 2014.

“I’ve talked about the hybrid engine and the incredible technology involved in it, and yet the years preceding us mostly was all people crapping on it as opposed to saying: ‘This is the most efficient engine, it’s an incredible piece of technology,’ and it was really a step for the sport to deal with an important issue.”

Being so forthright such criticisms, Carey suggested the Ecclestone regime hurt interest from would-be race holders, something that Liberty has been successful in reversing.

“There were questions about the promoter side of our business, and I think the strength of that [currently] has been indicated and been a real positive,” he said.

“I think it is a sign of the interest in the sport, the interest that is there that wasn’t being tapped into because the sport wasn’t doing things that you need it to do.

“The sport had gotten a little too critical of itself, as I said, crapping on the engines, Bernie saying ‘I wouldn’t buy a ticket’.

“It’s complaining, not fixing.”

“There were problems, but there wasn’t enough action to address the problems, like the costs.”

“Usually in life, if you’ve got issues, you fix them.”

Since taking over as CEO, Carey has led F1 in a new commercial and technical direction, with the launch of a Netflix documentary series, an online streaming service, races in Vietnam and the Netherlands, and from 2021, a complete overhaul of the regulations.

ECCLESTONE: THE TEAMS HAVE TO SUE THE FIA

Rival teams should sue the FIA for their lost millions due to the Ferrari fuel-flow settlement, says former Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone.

A subject of ongoing controversy, the FIA’s confidential settlement with Ferrari over allegations it subverted the 100 kg/hour fuel-flow limit in 2019 has been unanimously opposed by the seven non-Ferrari linked teams on the grid, with a statement from the group indicating that they were considering legal action.

Now Ecclestone, who stepped down from his post as F1 CEO when Liberty Media took over the sport in January 2017, has suggested that legal action is exactly what they must pursue.

“The teams have to sue the FIA. It’s about millions that I think they deserve back in money,” he told f1-insider.com.

“If Ferrari were clean and innocent, why did they even agree to a deal with Jean Todt? That alone seems like a confession to me.“

Should the Scuderia be disqualified from the championship, approximately $40 million in prizemoney would be distributed to the eight teams below them on the 2019 championship table, plus any performance-related bonuses from sponsors.

On their part, the FIA maintains the settlement is both “effective and dissuasive” and necessary as “further action would not necessarily result in a conclusive case due to the complexity of the matter and the material impossibility to provide the unequivocal evidence of a breach”.

JIMMIE JOHNSON AND McLAREN INDY CAR

Johnson has confirmed that he will test for the team at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama on April 6, the day after the IndyCar race there. He was at the Arrow McLaren SP workshops last week in Indianapolis for a seat fitting.

At 44 the California driver is too old to do Formula 1 but he would be fine taking part in the Indy 500. It is interesting to note, therefore, that Arrow McLaren SP recently did a quiet deal to acquire the number 48 (Johnson’s number in NASCAR) from Dreyer & Reinbold Racing, which suggests that the news that Johnson is going to test a Arrow McLaren SP car may be more than just a jolly day out.

This year he remains a full-time NASCAR Cup driver but next year he will have time on his hands and there is speculation that he might race for Arrow McLaren SP, which is using Chevrolet engines. Johnson says that he is not planning to run at Indy and will not be racing on the IndyCar ovals but it does look like he could be doing some street and road courses if things go well.

And, no matter what he says, one cannot help but wonder it he might one day change his mind about the ovals. That would be something... and it would probably help sell more McLaren road cars as well...

Source: JSBL

F1 TEAMS “SHOCKED” BY FIA-FERRARI SETTLEMENT

By:  Ben Stevens

 4 March, 2020

After a report yesterday that Mercedes’ Toto Wolff had written to six other teams requesting their support in protesting the FIA’s settlement with Ferrari regarding the 2019 fuel-flow scandal, it is now apparent he has got his wish.

Together, the seven non-Ferrari-connected teams in Formula 1 have released a statement, decrying the FIA’s handling of the situation and threatening legal action should the settlement not be disclosed.

The statement, in full, reads as follows:

“We, the undersigned teams, were surprised and shocked by the FIA’s statement of Friday 28 February regarding the conclusion of its investigation into the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 Power Unit.

“An international sporting regulator has the responsibility to act with the highest standards of governance, integrity and transparency.

“After months of investigations that were undertaken by the FIA only following queries raised by other teams, we strongly object to the FIA reaching a confidential settlement agreement with Ferrari to conclude this matter.

“Therefore, we hereby state publicly our shared commitment to pursue full and proper disclosure in this matter, to ensure that our sport treats all competitors fairly and equally. We do so on behalf of the fans, the participants and the stakeholders of Formula One.

“In addition, we reserve our rights to seek legal redress, within the FIA’s due process and before the competent courts.”

Signed,

McLaren Racing Limited
Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Limited
Racing Point UK Limited
Red Bull Racing Limited
Renault Sport Racing Limited
Scuderia Alpha Tauri S.p.A.
Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited