F1’s proposals: A statement of intent or just ‘life goals’?

Shortly after the official press release outlining Formula 1’s aims for the future of the sport was published, a spoof wish list started doing the rounds online: “More noise; more overtaking; more exciting; more cake; more money; more sunshine; more mascots…”

The only thing missing was ‘more grid girls’.

Since taking over the sport last year, Liberty (now F1) has made a point of acting first and talking later. Where Bernie Ecclestone ran half his negotiations through newspaper headlines and soundbites, Chase Carey and co. have elected to keep schtum about plans, preferring instead to talk about deals as and when they are done.

That is why the highly-anticipated future ‘State of the Nation’ proclamation released this morning was widely viewed as disappointing. On face value, it seemed to be a list of non-specific desired improvements for the sport that could have been lifted straight from the results of any F1 fan survey carried out over the past decade.

Every F1 fan has long cried out for more overtaking, better racing, and a financially sustainable sport that gives entrants some semblance of a level playing field. That F1 itself has now stated these as goals is all good and well, but it’s the equivalent of one of us writing a list of goals that include ‘get rich’, ‘get famous’, ‘become a legend’.

Without a concrete plan - or an indication of a plan - behind them, wish lists mean nothing.

Behind the scenes, of course, we know that efforts are ongoing to make F1 a more engaging sport. Ross Brawn is hard at work with the technical working group (TWG) trying to deliver improved action on track, while the FIA will be using the TWG’s findings to help make future technical regulations more overtaking-friendly.

But according to the team principals present at the Friday press conference in Bahrain - Claire Williams, Guenther Steiner, and Zak Brown - the press release many viewed as a wish list is really a statement of intent. It is not yet a blueprint, but more substantial than the child’s letter to Santa many had seen the press release as being.

“I believe it was a proposal rather than a wish list,” Williams said. “It was presented as such, and I believe that everyone felt that it was a blueprint for the future. There were elements in that proposal which are under FOM’s control, and others which fall under the FIA’s control. But I believe FOM and the FIA are working together. I always said that if we’re going to protect the future of this sport then we’re going to need to work collaboratively, all three stakeholders.”

Taking the future proposals at face value, Williams said that the outcome of the meeting left her with a spring in her step.

“I was extremely positive about today’s meeting, I have to say,” she said. “I think we’ve all hoped for changed under our new management, and I think today they presented change. For a team like ours, based on what they presented, it was an extremely good day for us.

“I came back thinking ‘let’s crack open some champagne’ because from our perspective, if we can get these new regulations through and if Liberty do everything they say they’re going to do that they’ve presented this morning, then from our perspective, I know that Williams’ future is safe.

“That’s not to say that we were on the brink or anywhere close, but today’s sport, the way it is structured and with the financial disparity between teams, then the likelihood of Williams’ survival into the medium and long-term was looking pretty bleak.

“Everything that they’ve presented from revenue redistribution to cost caps, is absolutely everything that we need to see from 2021 and beyond,” Williams concluded. “I’m personally delighted with the proposals that they laid down. I know in the past that you can have these conversations and they come out and not necessarily anything is done about it, but I’m not sure that these discussions are negotiable. That’s not the message I got anyway.”

In the spirit of positivity and optimism, then, F1’s future road map might require the dotting of ‘i’s and the crossing of ‘t’s, but the broad brushstrokes presented on Friday in Bahrain are less ‘#lifegoals’ up for endless negotiation, and more a statement of intent with added detail to come.

Only a cynic would say that we’ve been around this track before, yet always wind up exactly where we started...