Fota Unveils F1 Revamp Proposals

The Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA) has unveiled proposals for a radical revamp of the sport as a way of combating the economic recession.

Among the changes proposed by FOTA include the introduction of a new qualifying format and ‘radical new points-scoring opportunities’ as well as the reduction of the duration of Grands Prix, by 2010.

Ways to improve F1’s spectacle for trackside fans and TV viewers and extra cost-cutting plans were also outlined at FOTA’s meeting in Geneva.

Any changes must first be approved by the World Motorsport Council of the sport’s governing body, the FIA.

Senior management figures from all 10 current F1 teams attended the organisation’s first official news conference since it formed last year as they set out the proposed agenda for the evolution of the sport.

FOTA says its proposals – categorised either as technical, sporting or commercial – are aimed at increasing F1’s ‘stability, sustainability, substance and show’.

Technical proposals for 2009 include a reduction in wind tunnel and CFD (computational fluid dynamics) usage.

For 2010, Fota proposes that Kers (kinetic energy recovery system) is standardised, engines are available at £4.5m per team per season, and that telemetry and radio systems are standardised.

In sporting terms, it suggests a further reduction in testing – which is already significantly reduced this season – and wants race-starting fuel loads and associated data to be made public.

Commercially, it wants to ‘dramatically improve engagement with the public’ and proposes mandatory driver autograph sessions during Grand Prix weekends.

The proposals were developed as a result of FOTA-commissioned survey of F1 fans and infrequent followers of the sport across 17 countries as it seeks to ‘broaden as well as to deepen’ F1’s appeal.

In January, FOTA gave the green light to plans to cut costs as FIA president Max Mosley urged a further reduction in spending.

They ratified plans to cut testing in 2009 and to supply independent teams with engines costing £4.5m from 2010, and also pledged to develop low-cost transmissions for the 2010-12 seasons.

Despite agreeing on new ways to cut spending, FOTA is known to oppose the FIA’s proposal to introduce a budget cap for each team.