Former triple world champion Niki Lauda claims Mercedes, where he is now the Non-Executive Chairman, and other Formula 1 teams share concerns over the potential vision of owners Liberty Media.
In recent months, some have become more outspoken about the current management, headed by CEO Chase Carey, and pondered whether they have understood the sport they bought in 2016 and completed their takeover of almost a year ago.
Their first major proposal, which saw a concept idea for changes to the engines for 2021, was met by backlash from manufacturers, with Ferrari and Mercedes threatening to quit, and the Austrian says that is not the only area where questions are being asked.
“We had to give them time to identify the DNA of the series but I can already say that for Mercedes, and from what I have talked about with other teams too, there are things that worry us,” he stated.
“One is that they have restructured F1, hiring a number of professionals at a cost of $70 million a year, which could mean less money for the teams and every time we talk, I get the feeling they want the NASCAR system, where all the teams are the same so that everyone can win but this is the opposite of F1.
“In our competition, we honour the best car, the best designers and the best drivers and that’s something (Managing Director of Motorsport) Ross (Brawn) should know because he was a part of this F1.”
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Some are backing Liberty, however, with McLaren and Red Bull both urging greater cooperation but Mercedes Motorsport boss Toto Wolff seemed to echo Lauda when offering his view.
“Bernie Ecclestone invented something and made it into something great over 50 years,” he told Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “And we now have the responsibility to keep it great.”
