RB F1 Team believes that to maintain a certain level of competitiveness in Formula 1, team partnerships like the one between Red Bull and RB are needed, and losing them could hinder the sport.
Some teams like McLaren, for example, think that such relationships go against the purpose of the sport and would like the FIA and Formula 1 to revise the rules. However, RB F1 Team CEO Peter Bayer does not agree and actually believes that these partnerships help improve the sport’s competitiveness.
“There is certainly an advantage, which we believe is very important,” he said. “If you’re looking at the grid today, in last year’s world championship ranking, you add the points of the bottom four, they have fewer points than P6. If you add P6, fewer points altogether than P5.
“So I think Formula 1 as a sport needs to really consider what it wants. I think the fans, and we all want to have close racing between 10 teams, not only two or three teams.
“To achieve that, I think you have to respect the financial reality, which today is still a fact that none of the teams are making money. And the further down the pecking order, the less money you make.”
Team principal Laurent Mekies agrees with Bayer and feels that changing the rules would not help the sport at all. He added that now, the field is not as close as he thinks it should be to create more spectacle for the fans.
“Why do we have these rules about part sharing? Two reasons. First, close grid. Peter’s example is quite striking,” he explained.
“Do we feel the grid is too close already? We don’t feel it. We feel the bottom four are quite a long way at the back, and you will have only benefits to have them a bit closer.
“So, if anything, you would like to go in the other direction. But if we don’t want to do that in this sport, no problem. Certainly nothing indicates there that you should go for a more spread field for the benefit of the sport, certainly not.
“The second aspect is sustainability, and business model. Again, everybody’s putting money into the business, and we are in a fantastic moment for Formula 1: fans at the top, audience at the top, everything, and it’s still an exercise that is difficult to make money with.
“So do you want change now on that very nice moment, disregarding what will happen in the next four, six years? That’s how we feel about it.”
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