Abu Dhabi: Mercedes team boss Ross Brawn has supported the FIA’s decision to increase entry fees for next year’s F1 World Championship.
“We would be delighted to pay it [extra amount] because we would be scoring a lot of points,” Brawn said at the pre-race conference here late on Friday.
“If you are a mid-range team, and considering the fact that all the extra facilities that we pay for separately at the moment are rolled into that entrance fee, I think for a lot of teams it’s going to be very similar,” Brawn remarked.
According to new regulations being introduced by the FIA, Formula One teams will face a hike in entry fees for next season with the winning constructor having to pay $6,000 for every point scored this season along with the basic charge of $500,000 (Dhs 1.8 million).
The governing body for motorsport has spoken about this new fee structure starting with the 2013 season with the winner of the 2012 World Championship for Constructors required to pay a basic fee of $500,000 along with $6,000 for each point gained in 2012.
On the other hand, the rest of the competitors will be required to pay a basic fee of $500,000 plus $5,000 for each point, the new rules state. The basic fee must be paid to the FIA at the time of application and the remainder by November 30, a mere five days after the end of the 2012 season in Sao Paolo, Brazil.
“It’s going to make more substantial difference for those teams who finish in the top three or four of the championship. I was being a bit flippant, but obviously I hope that we can have that problem next year,” Brawn noted.
In comparison, teams were charged an entry fee of $400,000 for this season with no additional payments required for points scored in the previous year.
The exercise is meant to raise additional funds for the world governing body, which is expected to be in the range of $16 million.
