F1 takes too long to change - Todt

FIA President Jean Todt wants Formula 1 to be able to react to change more quickly under Liberty Media's new ownership.

Following the acquisition of the sport by its new U.S.-based owners, focus has been on what Liberty can do to make improvements as it targets a more long-term approach compared to that employed by Bernie Ecclestone. Todt believes the current governance structure – including the Strategy Group, F1 Commission and World Motor Sport Council – needs to be changed in order to allow the sport to adapt more quickly when required.

"Unfortunately, the way things are happening the reality, is [it takes] too much time," Todt replied when asked by RACER what he would like to see change. "The governance of Formula 1 in a way is a big security for the teams, but it's a 12-year process – it shouldn't be that heavy to change something. I can understand that for some long-term projects you need to have some time to plan ahead, but for some very easy moves it's a very heavy process, and something like that should change.

"For me, that's very much disturbing for running the business properly so it's easier opportunity to change things which need to be changed. Unfortunately, at the moment, the way it is, it is not possible."

With engine manufacturers from both within F1 and the wider motorsport world meeting in Paris on Friday to discuss options for the engine formula beyond 2020, Todt admits the more fundamental changes to the sport need long-term planning.

"What I do feel is not to take an emotional decision for next year, but we should really envisage and foresee what should Formula 1 be in five years, in 10 years. And starting from there, probably decide what should be the rules in five years, so we allow teams to prepare that, rather than overreacting and making decisions where they have all those facilities. But if you prepare decisions which will be implemented in five years, for example, then the teams will have the time to adapt themselves."

Acknowledging the place of electric engines in motorsport and a desire to introduce technologies such as fuel cells into other categories, Todt added: "Formula 1 will still be run with the more conventional engine. That does not mean we are intending to go back to what we were running 10 years ago. That will never happen."