FIA president Jean Todt expresses himself

From GMM

FIA president Jean Todt confirms some reports about F1 and explains he's here for one presidential term.

Interviewed by the italian La Gazetta dello Sport, Jean Todt reveals some of his positions.



Three grand prix missing

Amid speculation that some of the sport's four new teams are struggling to get up and running ahead of next month's Bahrain season opener, Bernie Ecclestone hinted at the measure to a British newspaper last weekend.

Jean Todt says: "In the last World Council the opportunity for a team to not participate in three rounds of the championship, also not consecutively, was granted."

Bernie Ecclestone is pushing hard for the Serbian hopeful Stefan GP to be first in queue to race this year should one of the confirmed teams collapse.

Jean Todt clarifies: "If a team drops out of the championship, the insertion of a new team is not automatic. It is always up to the FIA to decide whether someone is eligible or not."




Flavio Briatore

Jean Todt is convinced Flavio Briatore was guilty of fixing the 2008 Singapore grand prix.

Flavio Briatore, banned for life from motor racing by the FIA's World Motor Sport Council under the former presidency of Max Mosley, recently won a French legal bid to have the sanction declared illegal and overturned.

Jean Todt reveals: "Proof? The facts were so obvious that someone (Pat Symonds) apologised. At the World Council, there was only one vote against the penalty."

The loophole that allowed Briatore to overturn his ban is that senior team personnel do not actually hold FIA licenses, meaning the governing body does not have the ability to revoke them.

"We shall return to the issue, especially on the matter of licenses, so that all teams managers have to hold them," Todt confirmed.

He added that the Paris court only invalidated the Briatore verdict due to the "procedural" technicalities. Meanwhile, Todt indicated that he is opposed to Mosley's budget caps, believing cost cutting can be better achieved "through the regulations".

"For example, there should be an unique aerodynamic package for the entire year. It will cause grip problems in Monaco? Even better, we will see the skills of the drivers!" said Jean Todt.




Presidency

Jean Todt says he has no intention of trying to emulate Max Mosley in retaining the FIA presidency for many years.

The Frenchman, formerly the boss of the famous F1 team Ferrari, was elected to succeed Mosley by the sport's governing body last October and the term will end in late 2013.

"I will stay for only one office (term), it's crazy to think Mosley was there for 16 years. I have other things I want to do and life is too short."

Jean Todt was famous for his high anxiety when in charge of Peugeot and Ferrari, even to the point of needing to wear bandages on his fingertips when sitting on the pitwall.

"The stress is not diminished (as FIA president), just different. Compared to Peugeot and Ferrari, the only difference was that I was well paid to work there! Instead, I do this for my passion and to make a contribution to the sport that I love," concludes Jean Todt in La Gazzetta dello Sport.