Eric: “The Fans Are The Future Of This Sport”

Eric, how would you explain FOTA’s involvement with the Bahrain issue? Are you pleased are you with the outcome?

Eric: We followed what happened in the World Council, and the unanimous decision that was then taken. I think the teams have expressed their views and concerns on the topic in recent weeks, including the rescheduling of the Indian GP and of course the issue of safety of holding the race in Bahrain. We decided to write a letter –which was a private one but it became rather public – to the FIA and to Bahrain. You know the rest of the story because it was all exposed in public, so at the end of the day a decision has been made and we will be happy to be back in Bahrain in due course.

Are you a bit unhappy at the level of confusion - could it have been resolved in a simpler fashion?

Eric: Having read the forums and spent time with the fans, it’s easy to understand the reaction and of course it’s difficult to be happy when such a mess was created. One thing’s for sure, it’s not been good for the image of Formula One.

Talking of fans. Last night you had the fans’ forum. How did that go?

Eric: Very well. Very, very well in fact. The fans are the future of this sport, so it’s always great to interact with them. It’s really good to have this kind of opportunity, not in terms of just being in front of the fans but in terms of having dialogue with them. There was a lot of positive communication, which was really beneficial. They asked the questions and they also discussed their concerns about F1 - the current state of the sport and the future of it - so it was good to discuss issues with them and understand their thoughts better.

How was the team’s performance today?

Eric: It was not as strong as we would have liked, let’s say. It was not fast enough. However, as I said recently, I think we’re understanding where we have been going wrong and why our performance has dropped in comparison with our competitors. But we are now very much in the process of fixing it and we should be back on top form.

What is your position regarding the future of engines in Formula One?

Eric: In the case of Renault, they want to push for a new engine format and new engine architecture; they are clearly in favour of the four-cylinder version. I think there are some concerns from some other engine manufacturers too who would maybe like to see a different type of engine architecture, or directly postpone directly the arrival of the new engine. So, that’s the reason the discussions are ongoing.