Developers could boycott the new engine

In a letter addressed to the members of the F1 Commission, responsible for the technical regulation issue for 2013/2014, Ron Walker, head of the Australian Grand Prix organization, reaffirmed, on behalf of the Grand Prix promoters, his support for the V6 turbo engine: « This new engine must ensure that F1 remains the technological showcase and the charming asset of motorsports and must have a capacity of at least 18,000 revolutions per minute, with the sound being the same as the current engine. »

However, the agreement on engine regulation is still stalled on the issue of engine speed limitation, set at 12,000 revolutions per minute by the FIA, but which teams would like to see increased to at least 15,000 revolutions per minute. According to Ron Walker, the FIA’s proposal to introduce a V6 turbo engine for 2014, without altering the engine speed, has, for the first time, galvanized all the promoters, including Monaco, and they have given me their consent to vote against this engine… Specifically, 17 circuits have given me this power. The only ones that have not authorized me to vote on their behalf are South Korea and China.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile must therefore face a revolt from the promoters following those from the teams and engine manufacturers—not to mention Bernie Ecclestone, who has never hidden his strong opposition to the 4-cylinder engine—and Ron Walker even uses, as an argument, the results of a study commissioned last year by the FOTA on the environmental impact of F1. This investigation claimed that racing and testing accounted for only 0.3% of carbon dioxide emissions in the sport, thus rendering the projects to reduce the engine displacement of Formula One engines insignificant from an ecological standpoint while the consequences could be more damaging for the promoters.

These parties are indeed heavily dependent on ticket sales, and many fear that the sound of a smaller engine won’t attract as many people as it does today, an argument Bernie Ecclestone has already used and abused since the beginning of the season. Ron Walker does not hesitate to threaten a boycott of the Grand Prix: « We spend a billion dollars a year to put on this show, most of us are losing money […] and we are not going to let our spectator base collapse. I told the Commission that the circuits would no longer host F1. They can build their own circuits because we will not host them anymore. The sound is an integral part of the « brand » F1. »

And Ron Walker puts F1 in direct competition with the North American single-seater: « The majority of circuits will sign an agreement with IndyCar because it’s very difficult to distinguish an IndyCar from a Formula One car from a hundred meters away and the crowd will still enjoy it. […] I can assure you 100% that they will no longer host Formula One » reports Pitpass.com.

Should we take this threat seriously? According to Pitpass.com, IndyCar is a credible alternative but unlikely to succeed. Indeed, even if IndyCar could potentially attract only 75% of the current F1 spectators, the organizational costs would be half those of Formula One, and the financial situation of the circuits would remain roughly the same. However, Ron Walker openly displays the support of his friend Bernie Ecclestone, who is unlikely to let the circuits carry out their threat unless driven by an irresistible desire for financial ruin.

Nonetheless, never before had the circuits spoken so openly with one voice about technical regulation, thereby presenting their desires as investors. For Walker, the fight does not stop at the 2013 or 2014 technical regulations: « Jean Todt told me in Australia that the next step was to move to hybrid. I asked him about the noise, and he said they would generate artificial noise on the cars. My god! Max [Mosley] was ambitious in terms of safety and did a brilliant job. He also reduced costs, but as for a Green Formula One, let [the teams] go at their own pace. »