MAY 8, 2011

Todt firm on 2013 turbos

BY TONY DODGINS

FIA president Jean Todt has stonewalled suggestions that the small capacity turbo engines due for introduction to F1 in 2013 are in any way open to negotiation.

Recent opposition to the new engines has come from Bernie Ecclestone, Ferrari is understood not to be keen and the issue is expected to become a key point in the inevitable politicking over F1's future direction ahead of any new Concorde Agreement relating to 2013 on.

Speaking in Istanbul, Todt insisted that the engine rules are set in stone and non-negotiable. "You are making a confusion -- it is nothing to do with the commercial rights holder," he said.

The FIA president went on to explain that both Ecclestone and Ferrari have been involved in voting through the new engine regulation.

"The engine working group (the FIA's technical people and one representative of each engine supplier from the present time and potential participants) came with a proposal for 2013, presented it to me, I made some comments and they unanimously proposed it.

"The next step was to vote it through the FIA World Council. Who is part of that? We have 26 members and among them is one representative of the oldest team, which is Ferrari, and a representative of the commercial rights holder, which is Bernie Ecclestone. I repeat, it was unanimously agreed, so in 2013 we have the introduction of the new engine."

There will be a meeting on Saturday in Barcelona in a fortnight for the FIA to hear the point of advancement of respective engines and Todt added that he was happy to welcome new supplier PURE, the organization being fronted by former BAR team principal Craig Pollock.

"That's where we are," Todt said, "it has been unanimously agreed after lengthy discussions and meetings with people involved in this business. And why change? Can anyone give me a good reason?"