Claire Williams says she hopes that having a fairer payment structure in Formula One will be part of future negotiations with the sport’s commercial rights holder, as the current agreements are set to expire in 2020.
Each team currently has an individual bilateral deal with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, with top outfits like Ferrari and Mercedes receiving extra revenues in addition to F1's normal prize money schedule.
Sauber and Force India have already lodged a complaint with the European Union opposing a system they describe as both “unfair and unlawful”. Williams, whose F1 operations reported a 0.2£ profit on Monday, admits that independent structures must be patient before they can seek to change the biased nature of the payouts.
“Our philosophy in life is if you cannot do something about something, then don't worry about it,” she is quoted as saying by Autosport. “We cannot do anything about it.
“We have tried. Lots of teams have tried to have those conversations. But, as Bernie [Ecclestone] always points out, we signed up to the current Concorde Agreement under those terms, and we cannot do anything about it.
“We have to bide our time. The new Concorde Agreement obviously we will start negotiating new terms around that well ahead of 2020 and I hope that a revision and a redistribution is something that is tabled as part of those discussions.”
“I am a firm believer that sports should have equitable platform to be successful, particularly financially.”
Amongst the recipients of premium payments, Ferrari enjoys the biggest share due to its historical presence and contribution to the sport. While Williams understands the Scuderia’s bonus revenue, she hopes it can be reduced in the future.
“I wouldn't have an issue if Ferrari got a heritage payment, but not as great as it is, if that is what it takes, if that is the compromise. I cannot imagine Ferrari would agree to everybody getting the same chunk of change.”
PROFILE: Paddy Lowe, the pioneer
Sergio Perez exclusive interview: Time to be a driving force
Eric Silbermann ponders the outcome of the qualifying format row
Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter
