Red Bull does not want an RRA managed by the FIA
In parallel with the negotiations of the Concorde Agreements with FOM, the teams are also negotiating with the FIA the terms of the cost reduction agreement. At present, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are the only teams that have refused to sign this agreement.
The fact that Christian Horner is opposed to this new agreement might suggest that Red Bull is above the spending level allowed by the gentlemen’s agreement. Doubts had already been raised by Mosley at the end of the 2010 season, which Red Bull had quickly denied.
The leader of the Anglo-Austrian team continues in this direction by stating to Sporting Life: “What I want to clarify is that Red Bull is clearly for cost control in Formula One. The question is whether the RRA is the way to go. I believe that this letter, from what I have read, demanded that the FIA regulate the RRA, which in my opinion, is the wrong way. We totally believe in cost control in Formula One and not in frivolous spending. But there are better ways to do and control this through sporting and technical regulations rather than a resource restriction based on equivalence in time and personnel. It is always complicated within subsidiaries, particularly of car manufacturers. We are therefore totally open to any discussion concerning cost control through these means.”
Christian Horner therefore wishes that only clearly measurable elements be taken into account and not the possibility considered of being able to spend more but have less staff or vice versa. Indeed, teams like Ferrari or Mercedes could decide to reduce the number of employees in this structure, which would allow them to spend more. But how can the “helping hands” that colleagues officially employed by the consumer division could give to their competition colleagues be measured?
He therefore proposes other units of measurement: « When FOTA was created, there were clear and tangible restrictions on staff, the number of engines, gearboxes, tests. A whole set of things that can be managed to create real savings. This is the kind of thing we should focus on rather than the equivalence between time and personnel, which is, in any formula or mechanism, full of problems and difficulties. It started with good intentions, but, as is often the case with such things, when you start to dig into the details, it’s something much more difficult to control. This is especially the case when there are companies or teams that are subsidiaries of other organizations. »
Red Bull has therefore decided not to attend the discussions held in Paris, with representatives from Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Williams, and Marussia present.
With the participation of RacingBusiness.fr
