Jean Todt: Is he the response to Max as FIA president we never expected?
December 11, 2009 by vmr
Filed under Parc Fermé, Top Story
While SJ has already provided readers with a detailed rundown of the WMSC release today in Monaco, discussing some of the new and possibly improved procedures starting now in Formula1, this news makes one wonder (as he did) if this is the Jean Todt effect. Many had worried during the voting and campaigning process that, were Todt to be elected, he would be more of the same and continue various practices of former president Max Mosley, who had been generally unpopular with a large segment of fans and F1 participants alike. There was particular approbation over Mosley’s endorsement and apparently heavy-handed support of Todt. This is an excellent time to compare Todt’s election manifesto and the policy results.
While the complete “policy programme [sic for Americans]” can no longer be found through that previous link, when it was released I also condensed it at my own site for easier reading. Looking at the election promises and the changes announced today and recently, it looks as though Todt is attempting to do what he promised.
In his election promises, Todt was most determined to bring more teamwork to the FIA. He proposed various commissions for each of the series run under the FIA umbrella, and the WMSC today ratified that suggestion, though they did ensure that no commission president had much power, stating, “The commissioners are not empowered to take decisions or to perform any other act of a regulatory nature which may come under the remit (sporting, technical, organizational or disciplinary) accorded to the officials of the event by the International Sporting Code.”
I’m not sure that appointing Bernie Eccelstone as the president of said F1 commission is the wisest move for F1 (though he is certainly qualified, despite his conflicts of interest, there were worse choices to be made), it likely made the decision-making process easier and quicker for the WMSC today, since many of those changes, particularly that of the points system, had already been suggested by the F1 Commission.
While many appear to be irritated by the increased points spread, I would argue that it does make the show a bit more interesting, especially for those involved. As SJ mentioned, the smaller teams have to sell something to sponsors, and the larger points spread will help accomplish that. There is the argument that this change will NASCAR-ize the world’s top-flight auto racing, but I would respond by mentioning that MotoGP has had a similar points spread, even giving one point to the fifteenth place finisher. With the regular occurrence recently of the most interesting fights for fifth through eighth position, why not reward those drivers as well?
Moving on, as I appear to be arguing the already argued the Oversteer vs. Understeer debate of last week, the plan to change stewarding at races, particularly by adding a former F1 driver as one of the three stewards each race weekend, is also one mentioned by Todt before the election, in his “Resolution of Disputes in FIA Championships” platform. While he had not directly mentioned adding said ex-drivers, the changes desired indicated a willingness to go against the previously standing establishment. One would hope that this would allow Todt to implement better and quicker judgments regarding appropriate punishments at each race, so that debacles like the much-revised Suzuka starting grid in 2009 can be avoided.
Much can and will be made about the Women & Motor Sport Commission [second to SJ's suggestion about an Oversteer vs. Understeer debate amongst us women at F1B], but the idea ties in nicely with Todt’s mission of developing young talent in areas where it is currently not utilized or nurtured appropriately.
It is, as yet (as I always seem to say) difficult to know exactly what impact these changes will have on F1 and the other racing series under the FIA domain. Still, it appears as though Jean Todt is attempting to fulfill those changes and improvements he promised when running for president. That is not always what happens. This could be the change and response called for during the election to some of the more heavy-handed and interesting moments of the Max Mosley tenure as FIA president.
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While everyone was jumping the Ari Vatanen Bandwagon, I had supported Jean Todt. In spite of the fact that he was associated with Ferrari in the infamous “Red Rule” Years. For Me Jean was wearing the shoe and knew where it bit, unless Ari who was total outsider and it would have taken him some time to settle down to understand current system and this settling time would have set the things too hard to change.
Something that he needs to do is clearly identification of roles and responsibilities of FIA and FOM, which was totally missing, FIA should clearly be oversight body for Motorsports in general and not merely F1 and should have clear set of roles and responsibilities for all the players(series organizers, teams, drivers, racing event organizer) in all the series under FIA.
I hope Jean has good intention and pays good attention to pull F1 out of mess that it is in currently. Make F1 more feasible for team participates, and “COMMON” fans to “ACCESS”
And over and above should remember his greater responsibilities to “Motorsports” and not just F1, unlike his predecessor whose only activity (when not in “You know where”)was tinkering with F1.