Retaining the fundamental aspects to Formula 1 will be a key factor when deciding what cost-cutting measures will be implemented in the coming years, says the managing director of motorsport, Ross Brawn.
The Briton, formerly chief engineer at Ferrari before going on to be team boss at Honda, his own Brawn GP outfit and then Mercedes until 2013, was drafted in by new majority shareholders Liberty Media to use his vast knowledge and experience to improve F1 going forward.
The cost and financial aspect is one of the main priorities the new leadership has set out, both in reducing the mammoth totals top teams spend and smaller teams are forced to in supply deals and development as well as trying to equalise the revenue distribution across the entire grid.
As Brawn highlighted, in a press conference alongside managing director of commercial Sean Bratches and CEO Chase Carey, the interests of all must be taken into consideration, meaning changes can’t necessarily be about just helping the small teams.
“I think there is a circular process, to have a discussion about remuneration with the teams is difficult if you don’t have concern about both sides,” he explained.
“We’ve got to present how we see the sport going forward in terms of the investment the teams make because it’s substantial. I think it’s fair to say there’s not a team in F1 that wouldn’t welcome a reduction in costs, so those discussions have to go hand in hand and we’re preparing our case and our proposals with the FIA to achieve that.”
The 62-year-old also acknowledged that the sport will always have teams that are likely to be at the front whatever regulations and limits are put in place.
There is also a duty to ensure F1 remains one of the most advanced and innovative sport from a technological and developmental perspective.
“I think one thing I’d like to say is that we don’t want to dumb F1 down,” Brawn claimed. “I think F1 is so aspirational for the teams and we don’t want all the teams exactly the same in the respect that there still should be the aspiration for the teams.
“There should still be the Ferraris, there should still be the Mercedes, there should still be the Red Bulls that teams aspire to beat.
“We don’t want domination, we need an environment that a team that does a really good job can do well, but we don’t want a situation where financial power enables a team to get a dominant position as has happened in the last three years.”