Bernie Ecclestone will launch a last gasp bid to have the planned 2013 engine plans binned in an attempt to retain the current V8’s.
The 80-year-old has scheduled a Formula 1 Commission meeting for this Wednesday to overturn the FIA’s plans to introduce four-cylinder, turbocharged 1.6ltr engines from the 2013 season onwards.
Many within the sport are against the switch, with the FIA and Renault the main supporters, the latter has even threatened to quit the sport as a supplier if the formula isn’t pushed through.
Ecclestone however is staunchly against and will attempt to fight FIA president Jean Todt into submission, either to delay the introduction or to scrap it completely.
The F1 supremo’s ‘Plan B’ could involve legal action according to sources. It’s believed that the FIA didn’t follow the correct path to approve the new regulations, with the current Concorde Agreement outlining that changes must first be approved by the F1 Commission, but the governing body are of the belief that this doesn’t apply as the current Concorde Agreement expires before the 2013 season, therefore any changes aren’t bound by its terms.
The meeting will take place on Wednesday, with a possible vote on whether to press ahead with the changes. The FIA are expected to announce their intention in early July.
