Apr.5 (GMM) The latest interview given by Jean Todt has revealed more about apparently rising tension between the FIA and F1’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.
When Ecclestone admitted recently he is “at loggerheads” with FIA president Todt about the 2013 engine rules, some insiders said the real dispute is actually about money.
Frenchman Todt, 65, confirmed to the Financial Times that he is seeking a better commercial deal for the FIA in the next Concorde Agreement, with the current contract set to expire at the end of next year.
He indicated he is not happy with his predecessor Max Mosley’s handing over ten years ago of the 100-year commercial rights lease to Ecclestone for a reported $360 million, but admitted the deal “is what we have”.
But as for the next Concorde, Todt insisted “things have changed” in recent years.
“Technology has changed. Evolution has a price. I must make sure that the funding for the FIA is correct,” said Todt.
