Todt tips Ferrari to drop F1 quit threat
May 16 - Jean Todt thinks Ferrari's F1 'quit threat' will eventually recede.
Indeed, team president Sergio Marchionne recently eased the threat, saying the latest negotiations with the FIA and Liberty Media over the future were more fruitful.
"Ferrari is an iconic brand," FIA president Todt, himself a former Ferrari chief, said in Barcelona.
"There are several reasons for that, and one of them is that the sport is very important for them. Ferrari profits from racing and racing profits from them.
"I'm convinced that if we set up a good format, they will continue to be interested," said the Frenchman.
However, Todt said the FIA must also think about the other teams in F1.
"We have to do something that's good for ten teams, not just one," he insisted.
"More than half of the teams are in difficulty, and that's not good for the premier discipline of motor sport. That's why we have to do something about the discrepancy between the teams."
At the heart of that problem, said Todt, are the high costs.
And so it looks likely that, in the 2021 regulations, the 'MHU-H' element of the power unit will be scrapped.
"It's an interesting technology, but nothing that is absolutely necessary to have a good world championship," said Todt.
"We want to make things simpler, and above all we want to interest new manufacturers. We are well on the way with the engine regulations," he added.
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