Triple Formula 1 world champion Niki Lauda and Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner have offered differing views on the vision of new F1 owners Liberty Media as the political atmosphere inside the sport increases.
Since taking over from CVC and completing their buyout at the start of the year, replacing long-time CEO Bernie Ecclestone in the process, the American company has been implementing measures they feel are modernising F1, with greater interaction through social media and external events like F1 Live London prior to the British Grand Prix.
That is just the start, however, and behind the scenes the battle is heating up between the established manufacturers and new CEO Chase Carey and his team who want to make drastic changes to the structure that has existed for so long, introducing a budget cap for example and addressing the inequality in the revenue given to the teams, in essence taking away some of the power they had built up.
“I’m worried,” Lauda, who is now the non-Executive Chairman at Mercedes, told Italian newspaper Gazzetto dello Sport last weekend. “It was right that the American owners needed time to understand what F1 is – but that is about to expire and what they think about the future is worrying me.
“The FIA, Chase Carey and (Motorsport Managing Director) Ross Brawn repeat that we need to level off the performance, but the DNA of F1 is the opposite. You are a fool if you think that to make Grands Prix more attractive you need to have a different winner every weekend. F1 is about competition.
“Developing cars is one of the important foundations, as well as the bravery of the drivers, instead, you want to penalise the best teams and protect the drivers as if they are babies – with the introduction of the Halo for example.”
Another catalyst for the first significant confrontations was proposals put forward to change the engines which caused some discontent from Mercedes but more so Ferrari, who used the issue to issue a quit threat over the direction Liberty is wanting to take.
“I’m sure we will find a satisfactory compromise,” Lauda began on the engine issue, “but the heart of the problem is something else.
“In the face of cost growth of some €70million from one year to the next, revenues have declined,” he claimed, following figures released which pointed to the first reduction in revenue set to available teams in quite some time.
“But where do we want to go from here? There should be ideas for generating more money, but I do not see them. I heard from (Commerical Director) Sean Bratches, who would like to see the drivers accompanied by grid kids. Is imitating football having new ideas?
“It needs a more open project,” the Austrian continued. “For example, the budget cap. It is logical and correct but it needs a three-year plan to realise it.
“We have employees, so what do we do with them? Do we just cast them off and throw them on the road? For now, Liberty has only announced that they want to introduce it, but they have not explained how they intend to realise it.”
In response, Red Bull boss Horner suggested Lauda had been “unfair” in his criticism and praised Liberty and Brawn for taking their time and evaluating ideas rather than making changes “from the hip”.
Seeing the very different management system Carey is putting in place, Horner believes that is putting F1 in a stronger position for the future.
“They’ve put a proper business structure behind it – which is, of course, going to incur a cost,” he said to Autosport referring to the drop in margins, “but if you don’t speculate and invest in the business, you’re not going to accumulate.
“The world is moving on quickly and it’s important that F1 put that structure in place. Red Bull does not have any issues with what they’re doing, their approach and we’re watching with interest to see what their plans are for 2021 onwards.”