Ross Brawn: “Nothing is going to change between now and 2020”;

Instead of a single-person leadership with Bernie Ecclestone, F1 will now be led by a trio of executives. One of them is a well-known figure, Ross Brawn, who was crowned world champion with Benetton, Ferrari, and then his eponymous team.

If he is now responsible for the entire sporting aspect of F1, he does not turn a blind eye to the sport’s economic dominance. In an interview with Sky Sports News, the former team director believes that the sport must do more to make smaller teams economically viable as Manor is fighting for its survival: « We must find solutions where small teams can stand on their own two feet and challenge the Formula 1 hierarchy but also remain commercially viable. »

He thus calls for a sport where all teams are able to benefit from an economic platform, allowing them to focus on their development rather than mere survival: « Currently, it is a big challenge for them, it is too big a challenge. We must find ways in the future to have a healthy Formula 1 from top to bottom. We may need to find ways to make these smaller teams more attractive and for them to be an important element of Formula 1, not only on the track but also as businesses. »

The example of Manor is a fine illustration of the usefulness of having small teams on the grid. Even though it only finished eleventh in the season, it was able to serve as a training ground for two promising young drivers backed by Mercedes, Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon. If the grid had only had ten teams, these drivers might never have had the opportunity to make their debuts in F1. This scenario is not unique since in the past, drivers like Fernando Alonso or Mark Webber completed their first season with Minardi (now Toro Rosso) or Daniel Ricciardo with the now-defunct HRT.

But behind these good intentions, the legal realities remain the same, with commercial agreements, known as Concorde Agreements, running until 2020. These are the unilateral contracts signed between each team and the FOM that ensure the distribution of each team’s revenues, including the famous $100 million bonus granted to Ferrari.

Ross Brawn is well aware that any change is likely to be complicated in the short term: « We have a contract with the teams until 2020. So nothing will change substantially unless all the teams agree. »

Even if the new leaders indicate a desire to bring a more collaborative approach to F1, consensus is an art that F1 teams do not necessarily master. Nevertheless, Ross Brawn wants to act quickly to implement a medium-term strategy that benefits all stakeholders, from teams to promoters to fans: « There are a number of initiatives we can take in Formula 1 and I have ideas of what they could be. I do not wish to share them with everyone yet, but I want to share them with the teams and the FIA to develop a plan for the next three to five years. The idea is to be able to say in three to five years that we are now significantly ahead in terms of the sport’s attractiveness, how it engages with fans, and what it gives back to fans and promoters. »

If the ideas promoted by Ross Brawn are as innovative as his strategies on the pit wall, this could herald a bright future for the sport.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr