FIA comment on GPMA statement

In addition to the press release issued today by GPMA offering to put up 10 million euros for four years, the FIA has just received a letter from Professor Goeschel "on behalf of the GPMA" offering to put up 15 million euros for five years subject to certain conditions. The FIA is hoping the GPMA will clarify this rather confusing situation and will identify the six manufacturers referred to in their press release.

It has repeatedly been explained to the GPMA that if engine development is to continue, as desired by some GPMA members, the independent teams must be guaranteed a supply of competitive engines.

This means that at least 15 million euros must be available for engine development each year. This would enable the FIA to issue an invitation to tender to potential engine suppliers which is sufficient to cover the necessary development costs.

Had GPMA wished to continue engine development they would have had to find this money, the 40 million euros they offered was wholly inadequate.

Some members of the GPMA are apparently still having difficulty with the word 'proposal' and also with understanding that starving the independent teams of competitive engines is not in the interests of Formula One.

The result of all this is that the rules will stay as published and agreed. As always, all agreements, including the Concorde Agreement, will be adhered to and enforced.

The positive aspect is that all the manufacturers involved can now concentrate on important and relevant future technologies in Formula One which they have been invited to discuss with the FIA. This means that they can stop wasting vast sums of money trying to make the existing engines even faster than they are already.

-fia-