Formula 1's managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn says a solution to the prize money disparity between the larger and smaller teams must be found, if the sport is to attract new teams.
Drawn up under former owners Bernie Ecclestone and CVC, the agreement between the teams, known as the Concorde Agreement, sets out how the prize money is distributed between the teams.
There are several historical payments and one of those is called the Long Standing Team (LST) bonus, which at present is only paid to Ferrari, meaning its basic payment for the 2018 season would have been around $140m – even if it finished last in the championship – almost 50 per cent of that comes from the LST payment.
There are other bonuses for several teams that have won recent championships and those that have a historical standing in the sport, meaning there can be a vast difference in prize money payments which make it unattractive to newcomers.
Brawn is therefore keen to find a solution going forward and is hopeful logic will play a hand in convincing Ferrari to part with some of its special payments.
"There is too much disparity between the top two or three teams and the rest of the grid," he told The Guardian. "You have a group of teams that could finish last and still earn more than the team that has won the world championship.
"We have to recognise the importance and history of Ferrari and the unique place it has in the sport but we also have to find a balance between that recognition and an equitable position for the rest.
"We know that the ones that have got it all want to keep it and the ones that haven’t got it want more. It’s finding a fair balance in how we distribute the revenue. We know that if we have a more equitable distribution of revenue we will have a better F1.
"You are never going to attract new teams when you have such unfair distribution. Ferrari recognise that. They will fight tooth and nail for the best they can [get] but logic will have a fair part in trying to find a solution."
