Are Liberty's Maffei and the FIA's Todt on a collision course?

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Liberty Media's CEO Greg Maffei appears to have a mind of his own when it comes to F1, ignoring the principles FIA president Jean Todt wishes to instill.

It's early days and the two men may simply require a bit of time together to meet halfway, but as Todt rejects the idea of F1 returning to screaming atmospheric engines, believing it would not be "accepted by society", Maffei isn't ruling out the possibility.

"Yes, there are some things to do around the engines, Liberty chief executive Maffei said at a Deutsche Bank Media & Telecom conference.

"There are some things to do around the DRS system, there are a few things to do to try to balance the amount of money the teams get."

As the sport moves ahead with its ideas for the future, spearheaded by F1's new sporting managing director Ross Brawn, it will be interesting to see how it deals with the FIA's mandate of keeping F1 technology road relevant.

No, Ferrari has not taken up Liberty Media on its share offer to F1 teams

Maffei also revealed at the conference F1's intention of reviving the popular success of certain European Grand Prix events which have been dropped from the calendar.

"There are always races that come and go," said Maffei, "but it's more negative when it's a traditional European race which is in the heart of the fans.

"We have already started a process to bring some of these circuits back.

And he said some race weekends must be made more exciting overall.

"We will take as reference the best Grands Prix, such as Mexico, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, and bring what happens there to the traditional tracks," said Maffei.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.