F1B can reveal that Autosport can reveal that FOTA is looking at a prize money shake-up in F1.Currently the FOM dolls out prize money based upon a constructors position in the Constructors Championship. A meritocracy as Autosport calls it. It has been done this way for several years. What is being looked at now is an even distribution of the prize money among the teams. The amount is suggested at approximately $500 Million.
Notwithstanding the financial woes coursing through the veins of world markets, F1 has been looking at several ways to reduce costs and promote a more even playing field between teams. Mr. Ecclestone has suggested that an even distribution would make it easier for small teams to remain competitive. The conventional wisdom is that the larger teams don’t really need the money as they can claim higher sponsor dollars.
Sir Franks said:
“The problem is that the people who win the most money, Ferrari and McLaren, the big boys, have enormous money and they can spend and spend, buy the best people and buy everything, whereas the small teams never get a chance.
“If you allow the big boys to carry on spending what they spend, it will never allow the second half of the field to compete. You will eventually just crush the second half.”
“What would we do if the teams were asked to vote on it?” he said. “The survival instinct would say yes. The common sense argument would say yes. But it is not competition in a way.
“So, I don’t know. The survival instinct would need to have the upper hand in several establishments, including in Grove, otherwise you are banished to just struggle, struggle, and struggle to try and get back on equal terms.”
So does distributing the money mean a better F1? What would you be thinking if you were Ron Dennis? Does equal prize money actually mean the dollars are going to be used to develop better cars, hire better people…be…faster? It probably couldn’t hurt but if evening out the prize money means that small teams have more money; you’d like to think that they would use that money for a better package and not PR, overpriced drivers, better catering, bigger motor coaches, fancier green uniforms, personal stationary for each employee with embossed logo, Cake instead of bread, larger LCD screens on pit wall and those fancy murals of the drivers all over the garage. Being fast has nothing to do with several of those things and if FOTA is going to overrule the ‘big boys’ I would like to think they could all agree that spending that money on being competitive and not for just looking good for others might be something they could all agree on.
Then again, if a small team blows the money on pretense and not performance; they won’t last long and the money will be given to someone who will use it judiciously. Or so that’s the thinking.
