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F1 payment changes needed now – Sauber pleads

Sauber team principal Monisha Kaltenborn says F1's new owners Liberty Media need to act as soon as possible to ensure the prize money paid is more evenly distributed.

Liberty Media has already started looking into this, with reports last week suggesting Ferrari may lose some of its financial privileges.

Currently the Scuderia gets $100 million per season just for competing - according to Forbes - paid as part of a loyalty reward as Ferrari has raced in the sport every season since it began back in 1950, while Sauber only receives less than half of that amount. Similar bonuses are also paid to the likes of Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and Williams.

Speaking to Racer, Kaltenborn emphasised how important it was that change takes place before the current team deals expire in 2020, a point hammered home by Manor's demise on Friday, reducing the field back to ten teams.

"I certainly hope that it's not going to drag on until 2020 because I'm sure that when people make such an investment [as Liberty Media have], they do have a business plan in place that should start working when they take over and not start working in 2020," Kaltenborn explained.

"The kind of system we have and what you hear from the new owners, we don't see how the system is going to work until 2020, if certain financial privileges are given irrespective of what the result is.

"If you want to make the competition come closer you can also not work like this. So I think everything has to be looked at, and we have a completely new basis."

Pressed on if she thinks these changes will happen this season, she replied: "As soon as possible. I hope so."

Zdroj: crash.net