FIA presidential candidate Jean Todt has proposed significant changes to the way Formula 1 is governed in a detailed election manifesto published on Wednesday.
The former Ferrari team principal, who is standing against ex-rally champion and MEP Ari Vatanen in the contest to succeed Max Mosley, set out his stall in a glossy 21-page, multi-lingual brochure which emphasises the themes of teamwork and the need for a blend of continuity and change.
His most eye-catching idea is to appoint a ‘commissioner’ for each FIA-sanctioned world championship who would be responsible for its day-to-day management and governance – thus removing the FIA president from direct involvement in F1.
He also promises to overhaul the sport’s contentious dispute resolution procedures by reviewing the stewarding system and reducing the role of the World Motor Sport Council in disciplinary matters so that it largely rubber-stamps penalties recommended by a specially constituted panel.
When he announced his candidacy last month Todt extolled the work of outgoing president Mosley – who had endorsed the Frenchman as his preferred successor and urged the FIA’s member clubs to vote for him – and advocated continuity and consolidation.
But in a shrewd move apparently designed to blunt Vatanen’s appeal as the candidate of change, while simultaneously acknowledging concerns among teams and promoters about the way the sport is currently run, Todt’s manifesto adopts a more reformist tone.
Hence it acknowledges that “the FIA must continue to adapt and change”, recognises the need for “greater transparency and communication” and offers “an exciting agenda for change”.
To that end it promises to carry out a “thorough review of the FIA statutes to adapt and modernise where necessary the Federation’s structure and rules”.
At the same time it pays tribute to the FIA’s “remarkable legacy” and “impressive leadership” and makes frequent reference to the need for a dialogue with the member clubs – the electorate in this contest.
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