Is F1 Cost Cutting Already Failing?

I can’t help but think recently about all of the agreed upon cost cutting measures designed to save F1. I see the list is long with many different ideas that a month ago I thought might just work. Now I wonder because already things are changing and money saved is already being spent.

KERS is the biggest money drain I think so far. Something so optional for 2009 and yet so controversial. Will it help, will it penalize larger drivers, how many tracks will it be beneficial on and the money of course. I would hazard a guess that the money spent developing KERS has already eaten up a portion of future savings for every team. Is there going to be a trickle down effect to our road cars? I can’t see that right now considering the strict rules on it’s use and development, again the cost, it’s lack of reception by many teams, and a future direction I can’t seem to find.

Testing has become another issue in the last month starting with the January rain and wind fest test sessions all but made useless by the weather. Maybe some money was actually saved with these rain shortened sessions like less fuel, less wear and tear on parts etc., but that is almost too insignificant to mention.

Even though it was FOTA that took credit for cost cutting measures and got the FIA on board, it almost seems to me that in coming up with an idea, a plan ‘b’ if plan ‘a’ isn’t working hasn’t been thought of. Case in point. The weather this time of year in Spain and Italy is never a sure thing and as we have seen has severely disrupted January testing. The result is for BMW Sauber and Ferrari to look to Toyota and pack up, spend a lot of money and go to Bahrain where weather surely won’t be an issue. So where is the cost cutting in this.

Continuing with the testing issue, it was only last week the teams thought hmmm, maybe we should try and relax the in season test ban and allow some in season testing. Great idea from my stand point because once again these are scratch cars that could use some ‘real’ as opposed to ‘virtual’ development sometime during the early part of the season, but So far Mosley has shut the door on that idea.

My point is this, cost cutting has already been put to the test, so what’s in store for the rest of the year. How much money will be spent saving money?.

I have no doubt that FOTA wants to cut cost, no doubt at all, but the evidence I see so far is giving me the feeling that not a lot has been as thoroughly thought out as it should have. This scares me for the future because I know the end of 2009 will be heralded as a money saving success by FOTA, but a failure by the FIA and come the off season, the the same
problems they have now will resurface and the blame game will start once again.

These are just my thoughts as I see it right now and I’m interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Is this an issue or not?