F1 teams 'went around in circles' in crucial rule change talks

Formula 1 teams held crucial talks about allowing extra investment in new infrastructure to enable smaller entities to catch up prior to the summer break.

But Williams Team Principal James Vowles has conceded that these largely "went around in circles" with the deadline for the vote now being extended to October by the Financial Advisory Committee.

The team has been one of the main voices to allow teams extra Capital Expenditure (CapEx) headroom, which will enable them to bring their facilities up to the standard of Red Bull and Mercedes.

An F1 Commission meeting at Spa-Francorchamps discussed two types of extra spending allowance for teams. This included another option which enables teams to invest in simulators or gearbox dynos on a case-by-case basis.

"It's disappointing because there were a number of votes on increasing - just globally - the amount of CapEx by 50 or 70 million," Vowles told media including RacingNews365.

"If I wind back to February 20th, which was a few days after I started here, was the first day I put on the table that we as Williams need help. We cannot compete at the front with the facilities we have at the factory and that remains the case today.

"Then in five months or so, it's unfortunate and it's disappointing, frankly, that we're in a situation where again that meeting went around in circles if nothing else."

Vowles: Other teams wary of Williams gain

Vowles expected the proposals to be met with mixed reactions from his fellow Team Principals.

"To a certain extent it will do [go around in circles], because everyone in that room wants to make sure they're not losing out relative to everyone else," he added.

"There's no way of just letting Williams gain facilities, especially in a circumstance where we're currently sitting seventh in the championship.

"Other teams will be hurt by the fact that we could put in millions while some are in different positions. Some don't have the money to spend it, some don't want to spend the money, and some are fearful of change. Aligning that in one room in the space of two hours simply is not possible."

Other teams towards the rear of the grid are also in favour of having the opportunity to invest more on resources, to help bring them on par with the likes of Red Bull and Mercedes.

"On every vote it wasn't a surprise on how it voted. When we spoke about who needs to catch up, on one side of the table was the teams at the back-end of the grid and on the other side teams at the front-end of the grid," said Vowles.

"It'll be no surprise that everyone at the back of the grid near enough all unanimously had their hands up for most of these votes and the ones at the front and the grid did not."

About the greater good of F1

Vowles warned teams that they must see the bigger picture and how it could benefit the competitiveness of F1 going forward.

"This is about for the greater good of the sport and I really do believe this. I appreciate I have more to gain than others," he added.

"But you need it to be that on any given Sunday, you don't know who's going to particularly win. Certainly that [team] dominance doesn't exist the way it does at the moment.

"To do that, everyone needs to have facilities that are - not even on par - but have the ability to produce performance and move forward. That's not the case as it is today."

The Williams Team Principal set out the timeline for future talks: "It's hard to know what's going to change over the next few months, which is the next point we'll all get together and talk about all of this.

"Everyone's fears of where they lie in the championship, and how it affects them short term, and how powerful Williams could become as a result of it, will still be there.

"What I'm hoping out of all of this is it's undoubtedly agreed in that room Williams - amongst all the peers - is the one with the least amount of facilities and that means rectifying.

"We'll have another go at fixing that and seeing if we get other people's mindsets to modify."