A Haas team mechanic has rebuked comments by FIA president Jean Todt suggesting those who work in Formula 1 are “privileged”.
The Frenchman’s view came in response to concerns of staff burnout as the number of races continues to creep higher and higher, reaching a record 22 in 2020.
“We are so blessed to be in a world where we love what we do,” Todt was quoted by F1i.com as saying recently. “We have the passion, we are privileged.
“All those who are in F1 – with much higher salaries, incidentally, than any other business – should be very happy.”
He also pointed to his own 18-hour work schedule as Ferrari boss and claimed his family understood “you won’t be doing it all your life”.
“In short, according to him, we should be glad that we do not see our children,” Haas’ Robert Dob replied via Brazil’s UOL Esporte.
“This is outrageous, this is the opinion of a person who comes to the race on Friday and leaves on Sunday.
“He does not spend as much time on the tracks as we do. Many of us have been doing this for years, and finding another job is not easy.”
The concerns aren’t just limited to F1 personnel either with former Ford engineer in the World Rally Championship, Gerard Quinn, backing up the Haas mechanic.
“These are the words of a person who has the opportunity to travel in a private plane, paid for by the organisation,” he commented.
“If our families did not support us so much, motorsport would be completely different. The FIA must understand this.”
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- Herbert says more F1 races possible but fears another future triple-header
- Todt pours cold water on Liberty’s ambition for a 25-race calendar
- Carey claims he want ‘quality over quantity’ but says F1 can manage 25 races
As more countries show interest in hosting F1, Liberty Media has suggested as many as 25 races could be on the calendar in the coming years with a shortening of the race weekend included to compensate.
In fact, already for this year, pre-season testing has been reduced to six days from eight and other in-season tests have been dropped.