Force India deputy team principal Bob Fernley has suggested a new six-team ‘independent’ championship.
The idea would see Force India, Williams, Toro Rosso, Sauber, Haas and Manor all be part of this secondary championship whilst still being part of the larger constructors championship if they could all abide by a cost-cap.
The cost cap would have been set at $100million per season for the design, manufacture and maintenance of each of the six teams cars whilst no cap would be enforced on teams marketing or hospitality expenditure o driver contracts.
The idea had been for the FIA to govern this internal championship as well as the overall constructors’ championship whilst they would also have their own commercial agreement.
The idea needed all six teams mentioned to participate for it to be a success but both Williams and Toro Rosso refused to take part in the championship so for the time being the idea is on the backburner.
Speaking to Autosport.com Fernley said “What I was looking at was whether the six independent teams wished to enter into a voluntary cost-cap arrangement, obviously policed by the FIA, which would have been a second phase of discussion,”
“First of all, we need to see if there was an appetite for it in the first instance. We were testing the water.
“In principle, they liked the concept, but they needed time to think about it.
“We were going to organise a meeting at Hockenheim with all the teams if there was a consensus.
“[But] there is no appetite from cost saving from two of the six independent teams, that represents 33%, and it’s not worth doing.”
Franz Tost revealed Toro Rosso had no interest in joining the internal championship whilst parent team Red Bull would not support the idea.
“From the Red Bull point of view, it doesn’t make sense because it’s a two-class society,” he said.
“If you start doing this, with a cost cap $100m, you can’t develop anything anymore and then, from the performance side, you are last.
“We should have a cost cap, but for all of us. The argument is you can’t control it, but this is nonsense.
“The manufacturers don’t want it because they get the money buy we’re in a situation where the rich teams get even more money and they spend it.”
