F1 DIGEST THE MONTH’S BIG STORIES AT A GLANCE
INSIDER
DEFINITELY I HOPE THEY [FERRARI] WILL NOT LEAVE. BUT
AN ALWAYS HAPPEN. YOU HAVE SEEN BIG COMPETITORS
ING. COMING BACK. BUT AGAIN, IT IS THEIR CHOICE
JEAN TODT
“
03.03.18 Fast and the Furious
composer records new F
theme in London’s Air Studios06.03.18 McLaren take up their seat
on the F1 board for the
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and Mercedes06.03.18 Former Ferrari chief designer
Nikolas Tombazis joins the FIA
in senior technical role
08.03.18 Pirelli announce Canada as
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hypersoft tyre compound
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14.03.18 F1 safety director Laurent
Mekies quits FIA for
Ferrari role
22.03.18 Launch of new F1 live
streaming service delayed
23.03.18 Force India postpone
team name change: GLENN DUNBAR; STEVEN TEE; ZAK MAUGERnoise of the engines but is also probably the single biggest
performance differentiator between them. No substantial
progress has been made on engines yet, but then no
substantive talks have really been held.
As for costs, Liberty want to introduce a cost cap,
but that is already looking unrealistic. Even Todt has
questioned whether such a thing is workable. The
likelihood is a switch to cost control. But how?Ferrari have pushed back
against cost-control
proposals, saying they
will leave if F1’s essential
DNA is dilutedLiberty are proposing more standard parts in places
which they believe make little competitive difference
but incur huge costs – for example, gearbox internals,
suspension and brakes. This is unlikely to go down well
with Ferrari, whose chairman Sergio Marchionne has
already suggested that he could pull the brand out of F
if the individuality of the cars is not maintained.
Meanwhile, also for 2021, Liberty and the FIA have
a joint project that is aimed at coming up with an
aerodynamic design philosophy that allows closer racing.
Many have pointed out that the answer is staring them
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can race closer together.
All the while positions appear to be hardening. Sources
inside Liberty say Carey and his boss Greg Maffei are
prepared to call Ferrari’s bluff.
Todt, for his part, has said of Ferrari and costs:
“Speculation is they may leave. And honestly, that is their
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But it can always happen. You have seen big competitors
leaving. Coming back. But again, it is their choice.
“Knowing those people, who are smart business
people, who are rational people, in a way, now, that is
why we also we want to reduce the costs.
“At the moment [there are] about six or seven teams
who are struggling in F1. So it is not acceptable to have
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It might be observed that the engine issue is a red
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if Ferrari get the money they want, they will be more
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more money while trying to create a more level playing
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