Teams request debate on F1 Strategy Group role

After their informal gathering at the Malaysian GP, Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren, Williams and Force India have written to the other two members, represented by FIA President Jean Todt and F1 CEO Chase Carey, asking in effect to open a debate.

The request was included in the same letter as another regarding the Marcin Budkowski case.

In Strategy Group meetings, the six teams have six votes, the FIA has six votes, and the Commercial Rights Holder has six votes. Since Liberty took over, the other four teams – Renault, Toro Rosso, Haas and Sauber – have been invited to join the meetings and observe, but they can't vote.

The significance of the Strategy Group is that only rule changes and other ideas that are agreed by it then proceed to the F1 Commission, where all the teams and other parties, such as race promoters, have a vote in what many regard as a more democratic process.

As such, key issues sometimes do not get past the Strategy Group for consideration by the Commission.

The feeling among the teams is that given that all 10 are now involved in meetings, the Strategy Group could be regarded as redundant, and that ideas and votes on changes should go straight to the F1 Commission.

Traditionally, Bernie Ecclestone tended to add his six votes to those of the teams, and override the FIA. Yet there is a feeling now that Chase Carey and Ross Brawn may be aligned with the FIA more often than in the past, and that thus the voice of the teams may be weakened.

"It's moved a long way now by having everybody there," one team boss told Motorsport.com. "Because at least you've got a sharing of information, and people are aware of what's going on.

"But on the other hand, how relevant is it to the future, given also the expansion of the Formula One Group? I think it's probably an appropriate time just to look see, see what it's doing well, and what it's not doing well."

Meeting outcomes

Team principals meeting at the Malaysian GP

Photo by: Sutton Images

Another key conclusion of the informal Malaysian meeting was the future chairmanship of the Strategy Group, which was hitherto held by Todt.

It is supposed to rotate, and the teams agreed in Malaysia that rather than one of them take a turn, it should now pass to the representative of the CRH - in other words, Carey or Brawn.

In addition to wanting a debate about the future of the Strategy Group and the Budkowski case, the letter to Todt and Carey also raised the issue of 2017 payments from the F1 organisation.

As a result of extra expenditure in the Liberty era, on areas such as its recruitment drive and initiatives such as the F1 Live event in London, the Formula One Group is expecting a drop in profits – and thus the share of revenues that goes to the teams will fall.

The issue is that teams have always budgeted on the basis of steadily increasing overall revenues and have now found that they will receive less than expected for this year – with a shortfall possibly in the region of £1-2m per team.

The teams now want a discussion on the implications, with questions raised such as whether the extra expenditure should be funded by new investment obtained by Liberty, or come out of the profits.