![\"Jean-Todt-1\"](\"https:\/\/www.racinginfocus.com\/rif\/gallery\/f1-2014-rif-images\/f1-2014-persons\/Jean-Todt-1.jpg\")
Ahead of his much-vaunted meeting on Sunday with Bernie Ecclestone and Luca di Montezemolo, the FIA president hit back at criticisms of the sport in the wake of revolutionary rule changes.<\/p>\nJean Todt has lashed out at teams who are criticising the ‘new’ face of formula one.<\/p>\n
Ahead of his much-vaunted meeting on Sunday with Bernie Ecclestone and Luca di Montezemolo, the FIA president hit back at criticisms of the sport in the wake of revolutionary rule changes.<\/p>\n
“Making a judgement after two races is like George Lucas or Brad Pitt speaking ill of their next film — (as if to say) ‘don’t come to the movie!'” Todt told Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport in Bahrain.<\/p>\n
The Frenchman admitted he suspects the criticisms are being made because those complaining loudest are struggling to keep up with dominant Mercedes.<\/p>\n
“Mercedes, Renault and Ferrari knew for five years what engines they would need to use this year,” said Todt.\u00a0 “Mercedes has simply done a better job.<\/p>\n
“Such is motor sport,” he insisted.<\/p>\n
Todt said the only potentially valid criticism is about the quieter noise made by the turbo V6s.<\/p>\n
“I can understand if people think the sound is too quiet,” said Todt.\u00a0 “So we will look at ways we can make them a little louder.”<\/p>\n
As for suggestions F1 should axe the fuel flow rule, he explained: “I could live without it, but the engineers tell me that then we would need ten engines per year instead of five.”<\/p>\n
Todt was particularly critical of his former Ferrari boss, president Montezemolo, who has slammed the new fuel limits as having turned F1 into an “economy run”.<\/p>\n
“Luca should first talk with his engineers and then he would be better informed,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There has always been fuel saving, even with the V8 engines of last year.\u00a0 How many times did we hear on the radio ‘you have to save fuel’?”<\/p>\n
Another rule change proposed by the naysayers is a relaxing of the engine ‘freeze’, but Todt said: “Everyone would have to agree, but why should the Mercedes teams do that?”<\/p>\n
Indeed, Mercedes’ Toto Wolff rejected the theory the rules need to be urgently changed because F1 is now too slow.<\/p>\n
“We are eight tenths off pole from last year … so what are we talking about?” said the Austrian.<\/p>\n
“We are in a brilliant technical revolution and we are talking the sport down.\u00a0 Is it because we have an agenda?”<\/p>\n
He ruled out rule mid-season changes, saying tweaks are only possible for 2015, “but I don’t see that happening,” he told reporters.<\/p>\n
“Apparently some (teams) are saying ‘we haven’t managed to make the car efficient and fast with 100 kilograms (of fuel), so let’s add 10 kilograms — sorry, we didn’t do our job in the way we should have done’.<\/p>\n
“I find this whole discussion absurd,” said Wolff.<\/p>\n
His Mercedes colleague, Niki Lauda, also ruled out agreeing to rule changes within 2014.<\/p>\n
“Otherwise, why didn’t everything change last year, when Red Bull was always winning?” he is quoted by Italy’s Autosprint.<\/p>\n
Lauda was particularly critical of the reigning world champions’ griping.<\/p>\n
“(Last year) I was happy for him.\u00a0 But now I say to him ‘Helmut (Marko), you can’t always win!<\/p>\n
“The new rules were decided five years ago.\u00a0 They are fact and we have to live with it.<\/p>\n
“Red Bull at the moment is not behaving in accordance with its supposedly fun and energetic image,” Lauda charged.<\/p>\n
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