F1 about to adopt its New Deal

Faced with the unprecedented health and economic crisis which is hitting the world and in no way sparing motorsport, Formula 1 in the lead, Jean Todt, president of the FIA, called for a series of radical measures New Deal style, this vast reform plan launched by American President Franklin Roosevelt in the early 1930s to bring his country out of the throes of the Great Depression.

After weeks of intense negotiations between the governing body, the director of commercial rights Liberty Media, and the 10 teams on the grid, this New Deal is about to see the light of day. BBC Sport revealed that this major legislative package had received the green light from the teams following an electronic vote at the end of the week. Since then, several sources have confirmed to us the content of future laws aimed at ensuring nothing less than the survival of the sport. 

The flagship measure was already known but it was the subject of fierce debate between the big cars and the more modest structures. It is lowering the budget ceiling from 175 million dollars (161 million euros) to 145 million dollars (134 million euros) in 2021 with further reductions according to the following decreasing scale: 140 million dollars (129 million euros) in 2022 then 135 million dollars (125 million euros) for the period 2023-25. 

The second major measure concernsthe appearance of a handicap system in terms of aerodynamic development based on the reverse order of the Manufacturers' World Championship. Concretely, the team that finishes last in the ranking will benefit from increased work time in the wind tunnel and will be able to use digital fluid dynamics more often than all its rivals. These values ​​will reduce as you climb the rankings. 

The mechanism is reminiscent of the draft system in American sports where the worst-performing teams from the previous season have priority when it comes to selecting new players coming out of college. It is undoubtedly the last step before measures that are difficult to envisage in F1 such as “success ballast” (mass handicap) and other performance balances in force in the championships. Endurance and GT.   

Upcoming regulatory changes also provide for development freezes until the end of 2021, strict supervision of the number of engine developments, and restrictions on the use of test benches. 

This New Deal must be ratified at the start of next week following a new remote meeting of the FIA ​​World Motor Sport Council.