Brown calls on FIA to push for clarity on 2021 regulations

McLaren's Zak Brown says it's time for the FIA to push Liberty Media to offer clarity in the coming months on Formula 1's future regulations.

Last November, F1 sporting boss Ross Brawn tabled a draft proposal of the future rules, set to come into effect from 2021.

The initial framework was not met with a consensus view among the teams however, with Mercedes and Renault expressing reservations over the devised engine rules while Ferrari's Sergio Marchionne threatened to quit the sport altogether if Liberty Media's enforced its post-2020 vision as it currently stands.

Earlier this week, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei insisted the commercial rights holder was in no rush to finalize F1's future rule-book, anticipating a resolution in 2019 or early 2020!

Brown insists however that negotiations between the teams, Liberty and the FIA must come to a head in the coming months, and urges the governing body to help all parties reach an agreement sooner rather than later.

• Liberty Media's Maffei: 'No hard deadline on 2021 regulations!'

"I think this year is a very important year," Brown said in Barcelona.

"Along with the FIA, there is a lot of conversation that Liberty needs to do.

"The FIA is their partner in the future of F1, and I think we need to quickly see them put on the table [the plans for the future].

"I agree with Sergio Marchionne, who is vocal at this time: we need to see the vision put on paper to the teams."

With significant changes for F1 on the horizon from 2021, Brown invokes the obvious necessity for teams to prepare in advance, hence the lead time and the crucial demand for clarity.

"We as McLaren need to have – as does any business – a five or 10-year business plan," he added.

"2021 is around the corner and the teams agree with the strategic direction of the conversation of getting costs under control, and getting a more balanced engine.

"We also want to continue to be leading edge technology in motorsport.

"In the first half of the year we need to have 2021 locked down, because the big teams, such as ourselves are going to need to adapt to these potential new rules and that takes time.

"We are very keen to see their vision put on paper and put in front of us and that needs to happen very quickly."

While talks between Formula 1's management and the teams over the sport's future engine format, little progress has been achieved, which only underlines the urgency of the matter, says Brown.

"We need to know what we are doing on engines kind of now," insists the McLaren executive.

"The FIA has put out the regulations, but I don't think there has been closure on that. The FIA needs to move to bring clarity to that so everyone can react accordingly.

"In my conversations with Sergio and Toto [Wolff, Mercedes boss], there is a lot of alignment and agreement on the future direction of the sport," he said.

"There may be some differences of opinions about how you land on those conclusions, but we need to see something definitely put on the table to give us something all to react to."

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