F1 CEO Carey ‘feeling good’ ahead of crunch vote on 2021

Formula 1 CEO Chase Carey is optimistic Thursday’s team vote on the revised technical and sporting regulations for 2021 will be passed, with talks on the sport’s governance and profit shares set to continue.

F1 officials will take part in a vote on Thursday to formalise a planned overhaul of the regulations for the 2021 season, having postponed finalising them back in June.

Concerns have continued to be raised by some teams over the proposals on the table, with Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto saying in Japan earlier this month there was still a “long list” of points that had to be resolved.

Speaking in a Liberty Media investor call on Wednesday, Carey said that although he did not want to pre-empty the result of the vote, he was hopeful that it would pass.

“I never want to guess a vote. We feel good about the vote,” Carey said.

“We’ve gone through a long process and engaged with the teams. We took the World Motor Sport Council through what’s being voted on earlier this month. I guess I am hopeful and expecting the vote to be approved, but at the end of the day, you don’t control votes.

“I think having it done is positive. I don’t know that it’s a game-changing positive. I think people believe that we’ve been making headway, it’s been a constructive process, but it’s never done until it’s done.

“I think it’s a positive step to go forward. No matter how much we feel we’re in a good place, we’ve had agreement with the teams for a long time on the goals we are trying to achieve here. When you’ve got 10 teams, every team has its own twist and turn on specifics.

“But I think it’s a positive step. It isn’t like we have a bunch of things backed up that are awaiting this, but in terms of momentum going forward and looking to the future, it’s an important and positive step.”

Carey explained how talks would continue regarding the future governance and profit sharing between teams would continue beyond the deadline. These are not subject to the FIA’s deadline on regulations.

“There are five elements to the discussions we’ve been having with the teams. Three of them are regulatory, financial, technical and sporting, and those will be voted on tomorrow,” Carey said.

“They include certainly the cost cap and things like that, elements like that are in the financial regulations. Technical regulations, they deal with the aerodynamics of the car and things like that for the racing future.

“There are two other elements that are not subject to a vote that are agreements with teams: governance and profit sharing. We’re in advanced discussions on those, but one agreement has actually ended up being 10 individual agreements with the teams.

“The whole process is at an advanced stage. Those three components will get voted on tomorrow. The others are again, more discussions unilaterally with the teams to conclude.”