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F1: FIA president Jean Todt open to improving 'new' F1

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Khatir Soltani
From GMM

Jean Todt has revealed he is prepared to listen to any proposals to revise formula one's rules.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has been arguably the harshest critic of the sport's 'new' era, but FIA president Todt insists F1 was right to bring in the greener, quieter V6 engines.

"It was the right way to go," Frenchman Todt told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport, "but so far we were not able to communicate it well.

"But the future of formula one is in this direction," he added.

"In formula one there is now this search for the highest efficiency with the least amount of fuel in the tank but going as fast as possible," said Todt.

F1 Start 2014
Start of a 2014 Formula 1 Grand Prix. (Photo: WRi2)

He denied claims the 'new' F1 is fundamentally flawed.

"Just look at what Dietrich Mateschitz has done, awakening the enthusiasm of the people in Austria," said Todt.

At the same time, however, he declared he is "open to proposals for the improvement" of the sport as it steps into the future.

"I'm going to the sponsors, media, new media, organisers, drivers of today and yesterday and the designers to bring to the table all the most interesting ideas," said Todt.

UPDATE
The first to accept Todt’s invitation was Niki Lauda, a three-time World, Champion and Mercedes' team chairman.

"We should draw up a list of all the rules that have been introduced or rewritten in the last ten years," the great Austrian told Germany's Auto Motor und Sport.

The German magazine says it counts 77 major technical and sporting rule changes since 2005, including to qualifying, points, tyres, spare cars, long-life engines, traction control, testing, KERS, DRS, bodywork, team orders, exhausts, diffusers, and many more.

Lauda said: "We should do a rule-by-rule check of what every change brought to us -- what made sense, what did not."



Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
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