For the many of you that have watched Formula One over the years and how the rules have changed back and forth over the years, I’m interested to hear your thoughts on FOTA versus the FIA. It’s well known that Ferrari, Red Bull (both teams) and others have voiced that they do not care for the multi-tier cars in one series as well as the sudden budget drop due to happen in 2010. Rumors are already around about Ferrari and other manufacturers joining another racing series or creating one themselves. Please feel free to voice your thoughts and support your answers.
Personally, I would like to see Ferrari and the other teams to stay in Formula One. However, the FIA need to change their thinking and make it attractive for fans, teams and marketing. The problem that I see now is that the FIA have the right intentions with bringing the cost of the teams down. However, too drastic of a drop can make it nearly impossible for a team that has already spent the millions to get their teams at the top. A great example of this is Red Bull. For years they were at the bottom of the grid. They worked hard and now they are starting to see the rewards of their efforts. Now with the budget caps new teams can come in (Brawn GP) and with little money and support can be at the top.
Having a multi-tier car system doesn’t work for a single championship. Not even Le Mans does that. They still separate the racing categories and give championship points separately even though they are run at the same time. This doesn’t work.
The other part the FIA are missing marketing the new 2010 series. They are looking to the past results of what Formula One has brought to the world of Motorsport. However, with these new rules how will this be beneficial to marketing teams as well as fan support? There is a spending cap for 2010 now, so having sponsorship dollars going to the car will be very limited.
Should FOTA run Formula One? Part of me says yes and the other part says no. You need to have an outsider’s input to the series to help keep the sport fair. However, I think that a large part of the decision making should be done with the inclusion of FOTA. These are the teams that put their money, safety and reputations on the line and they should have a say on what should and shouldn’t be allowed. I think that both FOTA and FIA have to work together to get the most out of the sport.
The last thing that I want to say is that I think that the FIA are losing the vision of the epitomy of what Formula One should be. This is the best of the best. EVERYONE wants to be in Formula One. This is where technology should thrive and cars should sore. This is where automotive discoveries need to be found. I agree that Formula One should also start to look at more inovative ways that keep with current trends and lifestyles. An excellent example of this would be the developments in the KERS (Kintetic Energy Recovery System) and bio-fuels. These are the steps that are in the right direction and these are the reasons why Formula One is and should be the highest form of motorsport.
