Some of Formula 1’s midfield teams have been left𝓡 encouraged b🍬y a “good step forward” over the future of the sport’s landscape. 

F1 and the FIA met with team bosses in London earlier this week to discuss their proposals about new technical and sporting regulations - including power unit rulesꦅ, costs, governance and revenue distribution  - all planned from 2021 onwards after t💝he conclusion of the latest Concorde Agreement at the end of 2020. 

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, a number of t𝔍eam bosses provided an insight into the meeting and gave their views on the latest progress made. 

“We tried to cover all the topics of the projec🧔t. I think that we are doing a good step forward,” said Alfa Romeo team⭕ principal Frederic Vasseur.

“It’s not an easy one because we are 10 teams around the table with different kinds of structure for the company, with different targets, but we are going in the right✱ direction from my point of view.”

McLaren boss Zak Brown said: “Chase [Carey] rolled out I think pretty much what we were all expecting around budget cap, revenue distr𒉰ibution, governance and technical rules. 

“I don’t think anyone was surprised because he has been consultingꦰ with all th🍌e teams, really since this time last year. 

“And like Fred said, it was all a very positive step in the right direction. It’s probably not an ideal situation for any of the 10 teams but given that you have 10 teams ꦰyou’re never going to land on something that works for all.

“So I think the fact that it’s maybe not perfect for any one team 🅺means that he got it pretty 🍰right.”

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner added the talks led to a “goo💜d step forward” but hopes the rules can be ironed out soonꦗer rather than later. 

Midfield teams not convinced by possible delay 

It has emerged that F1 rule makers and the t🐈eams are considering postponing the final set of rules from June to December in the hope of stoppiꦏng the top teams from gaining a head-start. 

However, some of the mi🅷dfield team bosses doubt whether such a delay would have the desired impact. 

“I think the big teams will always be in a better position because, in theory, they should be in even a better position🌱 if we start laterꩵ because then they can throw even, more in a short time, emphasis on it,” Steiner explained. 

“So it’s neither here nor t🦋here. At some stage we just have to have to come t🦄o a conclusion that we get started and get going. Keep it practical and don’t discuss, or maybe get a little bit of an advantage because that is why we don’t decide. 

“From our side, if we start in June, fine, if we start in December, fine as well. We will not have a bℱig 𝓡opinion about either of it.”

Brown said McLaren would “react♛ accordingly” and reckons a delay would not “really matter”, with Vasseur echoing his comments♋.

“It’s always difficult to know if the late publication of the regulations will help the small teams or the big teams, bec🃏ause they’re also able to develop much faster than us an⛄d it’s not an easy goal or an easy way to decide,” Vasseur said. 

“Honestly, for me it’s not just a matter of timing , it’s also a matter of  being sure about what we are doing. It’s much better to take this kind of decision that to publish something a bit later. We are not in a rush to publish something on the 27th of June. It’s not the big part of the deal.ꦯ”

Toro R🐬osso team principal Franz Tost thinks a delay would help smaller outfits save money. 

"First of all, it is not 100% decided yet. It should be confidential,” Tost added. “The main topic is not to spend even more money because the earlier the new regulation is being🎃 published, the earlier the teams start to investigate this new regulation and sp⛦end a hell of a lot of money for the development.

"It means if the new regulation comes out in June this year teams w🅠ill immediately concentrate to build up engineering groups to investigate the ﷺnew regulation and to start with different tests and simulators just to get an advantage out of it."