FIA and Renault agree to delay Budkowski arrival

Marcin Budkowski, the controversial FIA official hired by Renault, will only start work with the French team on April 1 of next year.

Renault and Budkowski triggered a firestorm among the F1 teams earlier this year when it was announced that the FIA's technical chief would be moving to the Enstone squad.

Privy to confidential technical information in his capacity as an FIA official who regularly visited the teams, Budkowski was suddenly perceived as a threat to F1's secrets.

Teams subsequently lobbied to delay his hiring by Renault by as much as a full year, but the manufacturer and the FIA have agreed to a compromise, with Budkowksi now scheduled to start working in Enstone next spring.

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The FIA was unfortunately without any legal means to prevent its employee's move, and acted in accordance with the very strict Swiss employment law which only allows for a maximum of three months gardening leave.

"The teams were upset? The FIA was upset!" admitted FIA president Jean Todt, speaking to Motorsport.com about the Budkowski conendrum.

"I would say sometimes when you have talented engineers leaving you are never happy. Those people are under Swiss contract, and we have limitations. And so it was three-months gardening leave.

"We finally agreed with Renault that he will only start on April 1 – which means six months. That is the way it is.

"If the teams globally are not happy, it is easy that they make a gentleman's agreement among them, and they would agree that they don't hire any FIA employees or engineers, without respecting a minimum of one year's gardening leaving. They should all agree on that.

"On our side, we will try to make the most solid contract in order to protect us and to protect them, but there is little we can do."

Renault's Cyril Abiteboul confirmed that Marcin Budkowski would begin working in Enstone on April 1, 2018.

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