Looking to the future with hope

The significance of wide-ranging changes for Formula One agreed recently is not so much the content of the reforms but the fact that they happened at all. Talk of closures and bankruptcy appears to have concentrated the minds of team owners like never before and switched the priority from gaining personal advantage to the good of the sport as a whole, writes Maurice Hamilton.

There was little sign of international motor sport throttling back when the FIA held its annual prize giving in Monte Carlo on December 12. Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande (retailing in France at £60 a bottle) was one of the tipples chosen to assist the celebration of Lewis Hamilton’s world championship. The 2008 season is now officially consigned to history but there was good reason to raise a glass to the future.

There will be redundancies as certain roles become unnecessary but, following the shock of Honda’s withdrawal, having half a team is better than none. And the bottom line in every sense is that teams will be able to cut their budgets by approximately 30%, a saving of between £40m and £80m.

The most frantic work taking place right now will be in the various engine departments. Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Renault and Toyota must prepare for the first race of 2009 on March 29 knowing that the life of each engine has been extended from two races to three, with each driver being limited to eight engines (plus four for testing) for the 17-race season.

The engineers will be assisted by a reduction in the rev limit from 19,000 to 18,000rpm. Given the extraordinary reliability achieved in recent years when engine life was stretched from one race to two, there seems no reason why this next step should present a problem and, meanwhile, the cost of engines for independent teams such as Williams and Force India (formerly Jordan) is expected to be reduced by 50%.

While the doubling of engine life and the slashing of costs was not particularly surprising, the fact that all the teams agreed to Renault making certain changes to their engine for 2009 when the specification is supposed to be frozen amounted to bon homie which stretches the mood of the festive season to previously unimagined limits. It was, after all, Renault’s self-inflicted problem that a large part of their engine department had been disbanded (thanks to the freeze on engine specifications) and there were insufficient numbers available to deal with a loosening of the rules before the start of 2008.

The concession to allow Renault catch up not only signifies that the Anglo-French team was short of engine power in 2008 but also pays tribute to the pair of victories for Fernando Alonso and suggests that Renault could possibly return to being a major force next year.

Other changes for 2009 confirm the belief that aerodynamic development and testing have been among the most costly items in terms of manpower and equipment. The size of wind tunnels has been restricted and testing has been banned between races during the season. This will reduce numbers of staff and those remaining will appreciate a mandatory closure of each factory for six weeks every year, a revolutionary development for a business which does not appear to have the word ‘holiday’ in its lexicon.

Moving beyond 2009, there will, as proposed by Max Mosley, be a source of engines costing independent teams less than euro 5m per season and the same engine is guaranteed to continue and remain competitive in 2011 and 2012. These engines will either be produced by Cosworth or by existing manufacturers on the understanding that continuity is guaranteed. Talk of a standard engine for everyone has been shelved, the FIA president clearly having used such a draconian measure as a successful means of attracting everyone’s attention.

Mosley points out that none of the foregoing changes will affect how F1 looks to the fans. The only noticeable difference will come in 2010 when refuelling is banned and teams return to making pit stops purely, if they choose, to change tyres. A tank of petrol must last for the entire race — as was the case prior to the introduction of the latest refuelling tactic in 1994 — but market research will gauge whether the public would like race distances to be reduced from the present minimum of 192 miles.

Opinion will also be sought on the substitution of gold, silver and bronze medals for championship points, a proposal championed by Bernie Ecclestone, who was noticeably absent from discussions that doubtless will be considered a small triumph in the rebuilding of Mosley’s battered persona.