Formula One’s proposed ‘rules revolution’ has been delayed until 2017 at the earliest, after a meeting of the F1 commission ended with the sport’s teams opting against fast-forwarding a dramatic overhaul of the regulations.
Among the proposals debated at the summit in Geneva were the introduction of wider tyres, a return to 1,000bhp engines and enhanced bodywork in an attempt to improve the sport’s spectacle.
Reports have also suggested that a request from some of the sport’s smaller teams for new cost-cutting measures was also rejected.
According to Sky sources, the commission believed the sport will be better served if a new suite of significant rules changes were postponed until 2017 rather than "rushed unnecessarily".
It’s unclear how the voting between the teams was divided.
F1 underwent a seismic shift just two years ago when it abandoned V8 engines in favour of quieter V6 power units in addition to embracing ‘greener’ energy recovery systems.
Ferrari have been particularly outspoken in their criticism of the sport’s new look and feel, with the Scuderia’s new team boss Maurizio Arrivabene last month calling for “a real revolution with significant and radical changes”.
On Tuesday morning, ahead of the F1 commission’s meeting, Ferrari posted a striking picture of a ‘concept car’ that generated huge acclaim across social media sites. The team asked on its website: "Would it be possible to come up with an F1 car which not only is technologically advanced, but also captivating to the eye and aggressive-looking? And could this be made without having to overturn the current technical rules?”
However, if the purpose of the image’s publication was to ramp up pressure on the commission to fast-track equally dramatic change, it appears to have failed.