Concerns raised over F1’s new Strategy Group

The newly formed Formula 1 Strategy Group will meet for the first time next week, replacing F1’s sporting and technical working groups.

But there is a major different in the make-up of the newly formed group in comparison to the old sporting and technical working groups.

While the sporting and technical working groups represented all eleven teams on the Formula One grid, the new F1 Strategy Group will not.

Instead the new F1 Strategy Group will comprise of 18 voting members, including members from the FIA and Formula One Management and also include the sports ‘top four’ of Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren and Mercedes, for historical reasons Williams have also been invited along, whilst Lotus as the highest placed constructor have also been included.

This means that Force India, Sauber, Toro Rosso, Marussia and Caterham have been frozen out of the talks [although as Red Bull Racing’s sister team it could be argued that Toro Rosso will have a voice].

This decision has been dubbed as unethical by Force India’s Deputy Team Principal Bob Fernley.

‘All teams basically pay the same amount to go racing, The only differentials are in drivers’ salaries and hospitality. And yet some teams have no say in how the sport is run. It could certainly be deemed abuse of a dominant position.’ Fernley told the Telegraph.

‘Some of the teams have grave reservations about the legality of it.

‘There is genuine concern among some of the teams on the Strategy Group, particularly the ones who are public companies. This is not ethical governance.’

One of the major discussion points at Monday’s meeting could be the introduction of customer cars, with the likes of Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari able to sell old chassis to the smaller teams down the grid.

Currently teams are only able to sell ‘listed parts’ such as gearboxes, Energy Recovery Systems and as manufacturers engines, but this switch in Formula One strategy could see older versions of Red Bull Racing’s cars being sold off to Marussia to compete in races, a move that the majority of the people involved in the sport are against, but it will be money that determines the result of the discussions and any impending vote.