F1 teams ‘converging’ towards June deadline for 2021 rules

Formula 1 team officials remain determined to agree on new regulations for 2021 by the planned deadline in June.

Teams and F1 officials are currently thrashing out plans over how the future landscape of the sport will look beyond 2020, when the current Concorde Agreement comes to an end.

F1 bosses hope to introduce regulation changes that will help to improve the sport both on and off the track, with teams in discussions over the proposed technical rule changes.

The FIA’s International Sporting Code specifies June as the cut-off point for changes for post-2020, though there have been suggestions that the deadline could be pushed back as late as December.

“It’s difficult because there are so many important balls in the air, whether it’s prize fund redistribution or the cost cap, technical and sporting regulations and it is progressing slowly,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff explained.

“We’d like to have it done sooner rather than later and this is the joint objective of all stakeholders involved - the FIA, Formula 1 and the teams.

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner feels F1 is “converging in the right direction”, while Renault chief Cyril Abiteboul highlighted the importance of hitting the June deadline.

“We really see the end of June as the deadline,” Abiteboul stressed.

“That is a necessary deadline for the sport, for the OEMs and for all teams really, to know what the future is holding and to start to make plans accordingly.”

F1 teams met with Liberty Media chiefs in London ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix to be given a briefing on the latest plans for 2021, though details of the meeting were closely guarded.

Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams said her squad was “pretty happy” with the latest version of the 2021 rules presented by the FIA and FOM, adding she would be “very happy” to sign them once they are finalised.

Racing Point team principal Otmar Szafnauer said some outstanding issues remain, though he believes the process is nearing conclusion.

“With every meeting we iterate what the regulations are going to look like,” he explained.

“I believe there is a deadline of mid-year for something to be published and I think we’re getting closer now. The FIA have asked the teams for feedback, which we’ve given.

“There are still some outstanding issues on some components that will either be supplied or not and when we know more information then I think we’ll get closer to that but mid-year something should be published.”