“The simple fact is that if he was sat in Mercedes he would be extremely
happy. I am quite sure any four or five letter words would be more of joy.
“He should reflect he has had a period of dominance and just because it has
been somewhat shaken by Mercedes Benz doesn’t give him licence to be
disrespectful of the obligations placed on him as world champion.”
Todt, who met the sport’s key players and teams throughout the day, was less
stern in his criticism of Vettel, but was clearly displeased with the
German’s approach.
The Frenchman said: “I would not expect from an icon of the sport, who is
Sebastian Vettel, the four-time world champion and an ambassador of the
sport, to say something negative because it has a big influence. If he came
to me and said, ‘I think we should address the problem of the noise,’ he is
a significant person and I would listen to that.”
Meanwhile, Todt told reporters that possible solutions to the quieter sound
will be tested after the race in Barcelona next month. A working group will
also be set up by the FIA to explore ways to improve the turbo noise,
although it remains unclear when a solution will be found.
The agreement comes after Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s octogenarian supremo,
and Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari’s president, gave strong criticism of
Formula One’s new rules. Ecclestone said earlier in the day that the current
state of the sport was “not acceptable to the public”.
The news to come out of the Bahrain paddock did not end there, however. Not
only did Ecclestone suggest that there could be two more teams on the grid
in 2015, taking the total number to 13, but Todt also confirmed that a cost
cap will not be delivered for next year.
“Most of the teams were in favour of the cost cap, but I understand that all
the teams that are part of the Strategy Group are against it now,” he said.
“So clearly, if the commercial rights holder, and if six teams, which means 12
of 18 are against, I cannot impose it. It’s mathematics. So in this case, no
more cost cap.”