A change is gonna come...again

Big day tomorrow - December 4th, the meeting in Geneva of the 10 F1 team principals to finalise their proposals to the FIA World Council, which will sit on December 12th to decide on some major changes to Formula 1 for the future.

I know what you are thinking, it's all a bit of a blur this; we haven't had a chance to fully absorb the massive changes for 2009 yet and already we are potentially about to get a load of even more radical changes pushed onto us, like gold medals deciding championships, another overhaul of qualifying and maybe even a standard engine and no more refuelling. We've only just finished one of the most exciting seasons in 58 years of the sport and yet the blueprint which produced it is being shredded and a new, untested one being laid out. Slow down, already!

Truth is the discussions have been going on for months on this, with the teams starting out a long way apart but moving closer with time. Ferrari, which has blocked many suggestions in previous years, has come a long way this year and agreed to give up some things which would have been unthinkable a couple of years ago, like testing. They invested heavily in test facilities, but they are prepared to give on that in the interests of moving the sport forward, so I'm hearing.

This is all about saving money, but it's also about making more money, as the teams feel that the business model of F1 is locked in the 20th century and is way behind other sports. Look at the Premiership, they say. An average team gets paid over £60 million per season, for what is essentially a domestic championship, whereas the F1 teams get around £35 million for a global one. And yet there are only ten of them in it!. It's not getting any easier to find sponsors in this economic climate and there is plenty of money flowing into the sport to keep all the teams afloat. They are obliged to stay in until 2012, but they are thinking well beyond that.

Of course the sport needs to save costs and it needs to do so at the same time as finding more ways to entertain the public. What is unusual about the current situation going into tomorrow's meeting is that all the teams are united, whish is unique as long as I've been in the sport and for the first time ever they speak with one voice, so that even if the votes tomorrow on the various proposals are split 7-3, the seven will carry the day and the proposal will be presented to the FIA as unanimous.

The scope of what is being discussed tomorrow is extensive, FOTA has various working groups, focussing on technical regulations, under Ross Brawn and on sporting considerations under Martin Whitmarsh of McLaren. The qualifying debate is a sporting matter, saving money on brake ducts, engines and drivetrains is Ross' group's baby. Max Mosley lobbed in the hand grenade a few weeks ago with his tender document for a standard engine, which most of the manufacturer teams have no appetite for, with the possible exception of Renault. If the FIA World Council rejects FOTA's counterproposal and rams through the standard engine, then we will have some seismic shakes in the run up to Christmas and the new season.

Alan Henry reports on the Guardian website this afternoon that FOTA will discuss the possibility of returning to turbo engines, for 2011. The 2.4 litre V8s would be replaced by 1.8 litre turbos which would use 30% less fuel. They will also discuss getting rid of refuelling.