MONACO, May 25 - Formula One needs to be more entertaining and less
technology-driven, Renault and Ferrari team bosses agreed on Thursday.
"I would say that Formula One, in my opinion, does not need as its first
priority technical challenge," Ferrari's Jean Todt told a Monaco Grand Prix news
conference.
"It needs show, it needs people fighting on the track. And very often, with
the more technology you have, the less opportunity you give to the drivers to
fight on the track."
Flavio Briatore, an Italian running a French team, suggested that those teams
calling for more technology were those who had delivered least.
"Everybody talks about technology and fighting for technology but it's the
people who have never won a race, or its a team that won a race eight or nine
years ago," he said.
"If somebody needs to talk about technology, then it is Renault and
Ferrari... I believe like Jean says that we need real racing. What we need is
overtaking, we need people enthusiastic to watch Formula One."
Formula One's next big battle is over the technical regulations for 2008 now
that peace has broken out between the major carmakers and the commercial rights
holders over the division of revenues after years of debate.
Some manufacturers are eager for the sport to remain the pinnacle of motor
racing through cutting-edge technology, while others and the governing body are
adamant that costs must be slashed to ensure smaller teams can compete and
survive.
Todt and Briatore said they were happy with the FIA's proposed technical
rules for 2008, the first season after the expiry of the current commercial
agreement.
"We don't need to negotiate any more because already we have seen how long it
takes to negotiate a commercial deal," said Briatore.
"Three years ago we had a better deal. Now we have signed a worse deal and it
has taken six years to put this together."
