Todt on FIA presidency, Briatore and new teams

FIA president Jean Todt looks set for only one term at the helm

Feb.9 (GMM) Jean Todt says he has no intention of trying to emulate Max Mosley in retaining the FIA presidency for many years.

Todt enjoyed great success with Ferrari

The Frenchman, formerly the boss of the famous F1 team Ferrari, was elected to succeed Mosley by the sport’s governing body last October.

“I will stay for only one office (term), it’s crazy to think Mosley was there for 16 years,” the 63-year-old is quoted as saying by Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“I have other things I want to do and life is too short,” added Todt, whose term will end in late 2013.

Todt was famous for his high anxiety when in charge of Peugeot and Ferrari, even to the point of needing to wear bandages on his fingertips when sitting on the pitwall.

“The stress is not diminished (as FIA president), just different,” he admitted.

“Compared to Peugeot and Ferrari, the only difference was that I was well paid to work there! Instead, I do this for my passion and to make a contribution to the sport that I love,” said Todt.

Todt believes Briatore still guilty of race fixing

Todt with Flavio Briatore

Todt is convinced Flavio Briatore was guilty of fixing the 2008 Singapore grand prix.

Briatore, banned for life from motor racing by the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council under the former presidency of Max Mosley, recently won a French legal bid to have the sanction declared illegal and overturned.

But now that Frenchman Todt, 63, has succeeded Mosley, the FIA new president insists that Briatore remains guilty.

“Proof? The facts were so obvious that someone (Pat Symonds) apologised,” Todt told Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“At the World Council, there was only one vote against the penalty,” he revealed.

The loophole that allowed Briatore to overturn his ban is that senior team personnel do not actually hold FIA licenses, meaning the governing body does not have the ability to revoke them.

“We shall return to the issue, especially on the matter of licenses, so that all teams managers have to hold them,” Todt confirmed.

He added that the Paris court only invalidated the Briatore verdict due to the “procedural” technicalities.

Todt believes regulations are better tool to reduce costs in F1

Meanwhile, Todt indicated that he is opposed to Mosley’s budget caps, believing cost cutting can be better achieved “through the regulations”.

“For example, there should be an unique aerodynamic package for the entire year,” he said. “It will cause grip problems in Monaco? Even better, we will see the skills of the drivers!”

Replacement F1 teams will be appointed by FIA

F1 hopefuls such as Campos may have to be replaced by alternative teams

Todt has confirmed reports that F1 teams may sit out three grands prix in 2010 without penalty.

Amid speculation that some of the sport’s four new teams are struggling to get up and running ahead of next month’s Bahrain season opener, Bernie Ecclestone hinted at the measure to a British newspaper last weekend.

And he is quoted as saying by France’s Auto Hebdo that Campos and USF1 are “asking to miss the first three races”.

“In the last World Council the opportunity for a team to not participate in three rounds of the championship, also not consecutively, was granted,” Todt is quoted as saying by Italy’s La Gazzetta dello Sport.

It is believed, however, that the new entrant funding promised by Ecclestone may be jeopardised if teams do skip races.

Ecclestone is pushing hard for the Serbian hopeful Stefan GP to be first in queue to race this year should one of the confirmed teams collapse.

But Todt clarified: “If a team drops out of the championship, the insertion of a new team is not automatic.

“It is always up to the FIA to decide whether someone is eligible or not,” he added. Print This Article