F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Todt sees benefits to technical 'unification' of F1 and WEC

FIA president Jean Todt believes common technical ground between F1 and sportscar racing would help sustain manufacturer involvement in both series.

Todt paid the World Endurance Championship a visit last weekend for its first round which took place at Spa and saw Toyota and Fernando Alonso take top spoils.

The president of motorsport's governing body would love to see a form of unification take place between the top two categories of racing, insisting the idea would promote manufacturer presence across both series.

"It would be ideal to achieve some unification, but in practice this is not easy," said Todt.

"Ideas appear but it's more difficult when you start to get into the details.

"At the moment in Formula 1 we are discussing the number of carmakers in the championship," he said.

"Right now we have four but we want to guarantee that they stay. And it's difficult to do that if they only work with one team or two."

Common technical interests linking F1 and endurance racing would likely sustain current manufacturer involvement and promote additional participation according to the Frenchman.

Practically however, the concept would be a complicated one to put in place, he admits.

"If it was possible to supply their products to other racing series, the project becomes more feasible.

"But immediately a number of problems appear. In principle we are happy to think about this topic, but in reality everything is not so simple," Todt added.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

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.

Recent Posts

Norris says McLaren's MCL40 ‘feels like an F2 car in some ways’

Lando Norris has thrown a dash of intrigue over Formula 1’s much-hyped 2026 revolution by…

28 mins ago

Williams explain power trick that could define F1 in 2026

Formula 1’s next generation of cars will not just look different – they will sound…

2 hours ago

Williams FW48 finally hits the track at Silverstone after delay

Williams finally rolled its long-awaited FW48 onto the track at Silverstone on Wednesday, trading weeks…

16 hours ago

Horner weighs in on explosive 2026 F1 engine controversy

Christian Horner has waded into Formula 1’s latest technical storm, addressing the growing controversy over…

18 hours ago

Newey: AI has been shaping F1 ‘for a long time’

Aston Martin’s chief architect and team principal Adrian Newey believes Formula 1’s latest buzzword is…

19 hours ago

Norris gets a pole-position welcome at old primary school

Fresh from pre-season testing and with a world title now stitched onto his racing overalls,…

21 hours ago