Now 72, he’s pretty much seen and done it all as a
competitor, having faced down the likes of Ron Dennis,
Flavio Briatore and Frank Williams, before succeeding Max
Mosley as motorsport’s top politician, then outlasting even
Bernie Ecclestone. The time is surely ripe to gain his insights
into the state of the F1 nation.
F1 Racing: Jean, there’s a lot of below-the-radar political
manoeuvring going on in Formula 1 at the moment,
particularly with regard to future engine regulations and
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all this, as the sport’s governing body?
Jean Todt: We are working right now on the 2021 regulations.
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has been done on the engine [the current V6 turbo-hybrid
spec] and to start with a white piece of paper. So, for me, it is
essential that we optimise what has been developed and work
on what the engines are now and make them better.
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is to make sure that what we propose is good for the sport.
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because we cannot deny the evolution of the world. We must
have some sense about what is happening behind the golden
gate of Formula 1: pollution, climate change... all that must
be taken into consideration, because Formula 1 has to be an
ambassador of motorsport.
That means F1 has to be representative. Everybody with
a modicum of good sense will agree that we need to take into
consideration the evolution of society. We cannot be talking
every day about the autonomous car, the connected car,
hybrid, fuel cell, electric and then say, “Oh, Formula 1 – the
pinnacle of motorsport – let’s forget all that!” That would
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months ago we all sat together and agreed unanimity on
certain adaptations of the engine for the future: the parameters
were on the global framework of the actual engine – cheaper,
more revs, no fuel consumption limitation, being able to go
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be fair with regard to the investments that have been made in
F1, and clearly we don’t want to lose anybody. So it would be
unfair to try to get some newcomers without respecting those
who have been trusting us and who intend fully to stay.
But on the other side, we must have clear rules of the game
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talking with some potential new entrants, they are interested
to come in, but they want to know what the rules of the game
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soon as possible.F1R: Would those new entrants be manufacturer teams,
independent teams or just engine suppliers?JT: There is something here you must consider: at the moment
we have ten teams in Formula 1 and it’s amazing to have four
engine suppliers [Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault and Honda] for
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how can you justify it if you’re supplying one or two teams?By some estimates, Mercedes have invested one billion
dollars in their Formula 1 hybrid engine programme, which
has helped them dominate the sport since 2013. Taking
them on at their own game would require a similar level of
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most from even contemplating the challenge.I AM COMPLETELY IN FAVOUR OF HYBRID TECHNOLOGY
BECAUSE WE CANNOT DENY THE EVOLUTION OF THE
WORLD. WE MUST HAVE SOME SENSE ABOUT WHAT IS
HAPPENING BEHIND THE GOLDEN GATE OF FORMULA 1