Jean Todt’s Approval Rating 2011: Part 2

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Jean Todt, Marco Tronchetti Provera, Istanbul, 2011

With Bahrain, a 21-race calendar, rules changes and more on the agenda, it’s been a busy three months for Jean Todt.

Are you happy with how F1 is being run by the FIA president?

F1 Fanatic looks at how the president of the sport’s governing body, Jean Todt, is managing the championship. Join in by casting your vote below.

FIA developments since the last approval rating

Bahrain

Much has already been written on the vexed subject of Bahrain, so here’s a brief recap plus links to more below.

At the time of the last Approval Rating the Bahrainis had been given three months to decide if their race could take place. After that the FIA granted them another month to make their mind up.

An FIA delegation was sent to Bahrain and sent back a favourable report. The World Motor Sport Council unanimously agreed to restore the race to the calendar, in the place of the Indian Grand Prix, which was moved to a new date two weeks after the season was originally supposed to end.

The teams objected and Bernie Ecclestone (who had sat in the WMSC meeting) proposed a new calendar reverting back to the original schedule. The Bahrainis also dropped efforts to reinstate the race. The WMSC held a fax vote and unanimously agreed to accept the change, dropping Bahrain and restoring India to its original date.

2013 rules

The WMSC agreed that a fax vote could be held before the end of this month on whether to postpone the new 2013 technical regulations.

These include a move to 1.6-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engines (announced in December). The rules on vodywork and wings will also be revised but will not include a rumoured shift towards ‘ground effect’-style aerodynamics.

2012 F1 calendar

A 21-race F1 calendar for 2012 was ratified by the WMSC.

However Todt said afterwards that only 20 races will take place.

Exhaust-blown diffusers

Restrictions on the use of so-called ‘hot-blown diffusers’ will come into force at the British Grand Prix. Teams will be restricted in how they can use the exhaust gasses to feed the diffuser when the car is not accelerating.

Rules changes for 2012 will further restrict the design of exhaust-blown diffusers.

Anti-doping drive

The drivers have been given instructions on how to ensure they comply with rules banning drug taking.

World Endurance Championship

Unfortunately it was not possible to cover the details of the FIA’s new World Endurance Championship when it was announced, but it will likely be of interest to many F1 fans.

The FIA is in effect resurrecting the championship which collapsed in the early nineties. The series will be based on this year’s Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and include the Le Mans 24 Hours as a round.

It will be promoted by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest.

Ecclestone criticism

Ecclestone had some sharp words for Todt shortly after the last Approval Rating: “He has been travelling around the world doing what Max didn’t do too much – kissing the babies and shaking the hands.

“It is probably good for the FIA but we don’t need it in Formula 1.”

Jean Todt’s Approval Rating

As an F1 fan, do you approve or disapprove of the way Jean Todt is handling his job as FIA President?

  • No opinion (9%)
  • Disapprove (79%)
  • Approve (13%)

Total Voters: 255

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You need to sign in to vote. You can register an account here or read more information here.

Tell us how you voted and explain why in the comments.

Jean Todt’s Approval Ratings

https://www.racefans.net/charts/approvalrating.csv

Jan 2010Feb 2010Mar 2010Apr 2010May 2010Jun 2010Jul 2010Aug 2010Sep 2010Oct 2010Nov 2010Dec 2010Jan 2011Feb 2011Mar 2011
Approve54.7356.6852.8462.6878.4252.9553.7659.8944.760.4470.7552.8446.93
Disapprove15.9413.9924.4514.117.8923.1823.9817.4743.0423.5817.7234.0637.28
No opinion29.3329.3222.7123.2113.6923.8822.2622.6412.2615.9811.5313.115.79
DateApproveDisapproveNo opinion
January-March 201147%37%16%
December 201053%34%13%
November 201071%18%11%
October 201060%24%16%
September 201044%43%12%
August 201060%17%23%
July 201054%24%22%
June 201053%23%24%
May 201078%8%14%
April 201063%14%23%
March 201053%24%23%
February 201057%14%29%
January 201055%16%29%

The Jean Todt Approval Rating was a monthly feature in 2010. It is being run quarterly during 2011.

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Image © Pirelli

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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79 comments on “Jean Todt’s Approval Rating 2011: Part 2”

  1. The comments section of this article will be an interesting place to watch. *sits back with a coffee* :P

    1. Disapprove. I have several questions for Mssr. Todt.

      1)Bahrain. Explain.

      2) If you introduce three disparate initiatives simultaneously (KERS, DRS, heavy wear tyres), how can one distinguish how well each individual aspect works?

      3) How is it, in 2011, that the fans don’t know who is using KERS and when (unless you watch on TV and are onboard)? Wouldn’t it be logical to show a green light on the T-Cam to indicate someone is KERSing?

      4) How heavy are the cars going to get?
      2010: 605kg
      2011: 620kg
      2012: 640kg
      If the idea is to remove the advanatage of smaller, lighter drivers why not mandate that the seat and driver must weigh at least 100kg? All drivers (I presume) are under this weight so any additional weight could be added to the seat (70% down the back, 30% underneath; human body weight is about 70% above the waist, 30% below. So if the driver and seat weighed 70kg, he would have to add 21kg to the back of the seat and 9kg underneath.

      5) 107% rule: If you make a rule and do not enforce it at all, why does it exist?

      6) Is it logical to have tyres rule which encourage drivers to drive as few laps as possible on Saturday?

      7) What is the definitive upper limit for number of races in a season?

      and the most interesting question:

      8) How is F1 supporting new drivers to enter the series?
      Hamilton, Vettel, Kovalainen and Rosberg were the last drivers who did thousands of kilometres testing before racing in anger. Now we see a high number of one and done drivers – or half-and-done drivers (Toro Rosso) – and older drivers are more valued e.g. Schumacher, Barrichello, De la Rosa over Valsecchi (Perez) et cetera. Where is the next generation of Formula One going to come from if by the time they have come to terms with the series, they are on their way out (Hulkenberg)?

      1. Well GP2 isn’t doing a bad job and F2 feeds into GP2. I don’t think that’s so much of a worry.

      2. Those are some quite good points tbh, especially #3 and #4…

      3. I like 4, I like 4 a lot.

  2. Given the Bahrain fiasco I suspect this will be the first time a plurality disapprove of Todt.

    Myself, I’m voting Disapprove for (I think) the first time. Firstly because of the poor handling of the Bahrain situation, and secondly because of the flip-flopping over the 2013 engine rules. Pick a set of regulations and stick to them (preferably something allowing a degree of innovation, but at this stage anything will do).

    1. Very much feel the same on the current vote Andy.

      1. Second disaprove from me. Dismall handling of the Bahrain issue, utter flop on the 2013 regulations which were nearly very exciting indeed.

        Very upset indeed that we lost the possiblility of a return to underfloor aero, would have been the right time, cars and circuits are safe enough, added to efficient turbo’s we could have had exciting racing, especially with these tyres, and possibility for green developments to prevent environmental preassure on our sport.

    2. Pick a set of regulations and stick to them

      Exactly.

    3. Well said Andy, count me in for dissaprove on the same grounds.

    4. Bahrain makes Todt look like a moron. Why the teams were never asked before a decision was even made is beyond me.

      The same thing is happening with 2013 rules and the calendar. They said one thing and we’re likely to get another.

      All this flip-flopping makes him look incompetent. Either announce a decision and stick to your guns or confer with the teams privately and announce the decision. Announcing one thing and then changing it shows weakness in resolve and brings to mind how the Weiner mess went.

      Hot-blowing is likely to be a mess as well.

      1. Very unfortunate phrasing on your last sentence! Especially after ‘Weiner mess’…

        1. Maybe Todt just gets himself into sticky situations.

          1. A cock up then …

    5. Pretty much my sentiments too. There seems to be a serious lack of confident rulings coming out of Todt as of late, and unfortunatly that strikes of weak leadership, or possibly puppetry. I voted no opinion for the first time last time (I felt things should play out a bit more) and this time I am voting disapprove as many of the problems have played out in a less than satisfactory way. At Todt’s level, he needs to make an informed and level headed decision and then stick too it, not waffle around.

    6. Agreed. I’ve voted no opinion before, but I think this is the first time I’ve voted disapprove… and for a number of reasons. First and foremost the fumbling of Bahrain. Second, the elimination of ground effects for 2013 and the permanent inclusion of DRS. Third, the mid season manipulation of this year’s regulations after all teams have designed their cars around the concept. To be fair, I should say that I think the World Endurance Championship sounds great, but that’s certainly not enough to outweigh my displeasure on the other issues.

  3. What a mess over Bahrain! However Todt has been good in diffusing hysteria around Hamilton driving.
    Remove DRS, cap championship at 20 races, bring in v6 turbos and push on with underfloor areo for 2013 and he will be back up there again.

    1. The problem with the Hamilton situation was Todt said he was considering banning him for 6 races before Hamilton wrote to him apologizing!

      I can’t even start to explain how ridiculous that would have been.

      1. Yeah that comment was beyond ridiculous. Sic races ban for complains about incidents that were not clear cut his fault as his critics will like us to believe.

  4. I voted no opinion – thats not because I don’t have an opinion, but because I disapprove and approve with Todt’s work in equal measure.

    The Bahrain fiasco needs little said about it. Thats a disapprove. The new endurance world series is a fantastic move though. Hopefully it’ll get some good coverage and rival ALMS.

    Whats making me uncertain though is the 2013 engine rules. If these get changed then it will be a massive disapprove from me

    1. I agree the Bahrain situation has dragged everything through the mud (sand?), and that far outweighed the goodness of a new endurance series (I can’t believe there wasn’t one already).

      Plus why announce a 21 race calendar and then say there won’t be 21 races? Announce a 20 race calendar, or don’t and wait until you’ve chosen 20 races.

  5. It’s the first time I voted against – but he deserved it. Not only did he not firmly oppose the Bahrain GP, but he was even for it. The decision to drop the race was taken after the GP organisers dropped their bids.

  6. On the face of it, Todt appears to have done as much good ad bad. But the Bahrain issue should never have gone that far, no matter what your feelings about racing there. It was an image blow that could have been far worse for F1. More so, Todt was convincingly trounced by Bernie and Mosley, although to Jean’s credit Bernie was found out too.

    All this and the rather easy climb-down on the 2013 aero rules (including the retention of DRS) leads me to vote Disapprove.

    1. The Bahrain issue didn’t get too much media coverage over here, so I could only go off what everyone was saying on here. Hence, I can’t accurately judge how it has all affected F1’s image. But the fact that there was so much indecision and mind changing made it all quite a mess, and I too had to vote Disapprove. Hopefully this 2013 regulation issue gets sorted a lot quicker.

    2. For me, the indecision is a big part of the reason to not approve of what he is doing.

      I can understand the rule changes being complex, with many people fore it, and others digging in, but that just meant that we didn’t see it when it went wrong earlier: when they decided on 2013 with certain rules. That is when the options should have been carefully considered and weighed, before deciding.

      I know that the final aero rules for 2013 were “to be discussed”, so I guess I shouldn’t count those in it, but then again, even there it could have been made clear what the goals were, including not letting costs for teams rise too much from it, and we would have had a much clearer outlook.

      With Bahrain we see something similar, instead of deciding (as the rules normally say, don’t they?) missed is missed, see next year, the decision was, for un(officially)stated reasons, postponed, and again postponed. That couldn’t be done again, so FIA came up with a decision, which in the end was rushed and not carefully weighed, and ended up being mooted.

      It is likely not solely Todt doing this, it is more that FIA has been working like this for a long time.

      Still, with Todt they chose an insider as president, and while he has managed to clear up and improve some of the procedures around races, noticeably, the ongoing refinements of the stewarding process (Canada even a statement to explain their reasoning!), inherent in this choice seems to be that he won’t be able to clean up the larger issue.

      Not to end too negatively, while Ecclestone might deride the networking tour by Todt, having an FIA endurance racing championship again, working together with ACO to make it happen, clearly shows what good results that can lead to.

  7. Strongly disapprove.

    The handling of Bahrain was simply appalling.

  8. I’m no soothsayer, but I’ve got a feeling this is not goign to go well for Todt!

  9. I know this is going to be controversial, but I voted positively.

    Despite everything (or perhaps because of it) that was said about Bahrain, we will never truly know what led to some of the decisions were made. After all has been said and done, I remain firmly convinced that there are still nuances to the story that we never heard, and never will. I also know that Bahrain is going to be the headline act in this thread, and I wanted to call attention to some of the positive things Todt has done. Assuming, for the moment, that the Bahrain situation was unequivocally a direct result of Todt’s failures as FIA President, then perhaps these things do not redeem him – but nor should they be ignored out of hand.

    I believe that the 2013 engine rules will be good for the sport, and that Todt went a long way towards undoing the damage of the Mosley years with his assertation that when it comes time for a renegotiation of the Concorde Agreement, the FIA must play a bigger role in the commercial side of the sport, particularly in deciding where the sport should go. I am also quite pleased to see the plans for the World Endurance Championship and the anti-doping push, which I think speak to Todt’s vision of motorsport as a whole, rather than Mosley only caring about inflicting his vision of what Formula 1 should be onto people who did not want it.

    1. While I wholeheartedly feel, Todt is doing a lot better of a job than Mosley was doing for at least his last presidency, possibly the one before that as well, the handling of all major issues so far has been far to messy to approve of how he is handing things.

      Tyres – a mess, no one responsible, a good desicion but far to late and blurred
      Bahrain – far to messy, it could have been as easy as to say, better luck next time right in March
      2013 rules – decided, not decided, not sure, whatever –> a mess as well.

      I fully get, that this is about getting everyone in on desicions, and its a tough job where he seems to get things done eventually.
      But the semi-firm statements made and then backtracking, losing track and finally deciding on things in the nick of time, mostly seen to be pushed by someone else, is just not what any sport needs.

      1. Tyres – a mess, no one responsible, a good desicion but far to late and blurred

        Sorry, but I don’t really see what the problem with the tyres is. The only real issue has been in the colour-coding of the sidewalls.

        1. I think it’s about the decision last year over who would supply them.

          1. I think the problem was that last year, the teams were really keen on the Pirellis – but before the matter could be settled, Michelin made a really good offer and dialled the whole process out again. I’m pretty sure that in such a situation, the teams are obligated to consider any bid that it made; they can’t simply discard it without deliberation.

        2. I was looking back at the struggle to actually get a tyre partner last year. It showed the – by now – trademark Todt approach for the first time.

    2. I believe that the 2013 engine rules will be good for the sport, and that Todt went a long way towards undoing the damage of the Mosley years with his assertation that when it comes time for a renegotiation of the Concorde Agreement, the FIA must play a bigger role in the commercial side of the sport, particularly in deciding where the sport should go. I am also quite pleased to see the plans for the World Endurance Championship and the anti-doping push, which I think speak to Todt’s vision of motorsport as a whole, rather than Mosley only caring about inflicting his vision of what Formula 1 should be onto people who did not want it.

      I actually agree with all of this.

      1. Me too, that’s where it shows that despite everything, he is so far doing a better job than Mosley was at the end of his last term.

        But as I said above, probably too extensively, the process of making big decisions seems too drawn out and messy, and he isn’t helping that at all, and I think it goes wrong at the start, where he (and FIA) doesn’t manage to get all the issues, concerns or stakes clear when the discussion starts.

    3. we will never truly know what led to some of the decisions were made. After all has been said and done, I remain firmly convinced that there are still nuances to the story that we never heard, and never will.

      The same could be said for any decisionmaker in the world. Yet we judge politicians every day, even when we don’t see the entire picture. Bahrain was handled in a clumsy way from start to finish, with an ironic climax as the organizer decided to give up themselves.

      The other points are indeed positive, but we can’t quite make a clear judgement yet as they are all things that still need to happen in the future.

  10. I voted in disapproval, because the safety of the fans and teams couldn’t be guaranteed, so the FIA really screwed that up, but also for the FIA’s naive assumption that the teams would be willing to play along and go to Bahrain, leaving India until December. The whole thing was a mess. It was a ridiculous decision to say yes to Bahrain, and Jean Todt is the head of the organisation and the only person I can really hold accountable.

  11. He gets a disapprove this time for showing a remarkable lack of nous and steadiness over bahrain and the 2013 rules.

    Vanaten was ridiculed as an amateur candidate by Bernie – Regardless of the rights and wrongs of his appointment, I certainly never thought Todt would end up being seen as flummoxed. Foxy, underhanded, possibly unfair, yes. But not flummoxed.

    1. This is the bottom line with Todt. He simply does not seem to have a strong sure hand in all the pronouncements he/FIA make. In virtually all his recent pronouncements on major issues in F1, he has been forced to withdraw some or all of FIA’s proposals after hostile reaction from some powerful lobby group.

      That must either mean that he doesn’t ask the right questions before he decides policy, or that he doesn’t listen properly to the answers he gets.

      Either way, this is not a very good sign for the future of F1. Todt needs to get a grip !

  12. Disappointed, sometimes bewildered and generally confused by Jean Todts period heading the FIA. He seems to lack key leadership qualities, the team he surrounds himself with must be running amock. Bahrain was a disaster with no consultation with FOTA (as was essential,) sent a no nothing to investigate the situation and then looked stupid when the teams done the decent thing when they said no.
    The current reg changes debacle seems just typical and what we are groing to expect from Todt and his clowns, who seem more obsessed with having Jean seen in the right light as oppossed to doing the right and correct thing.
    Very Strongly Disapprove, frankly i’m beggining to think his appointment a disaster for the FIA, especially when what they needed was a strong, charasmatic, influential leader, what they seem to have is a confused, misguided sycophant who trys to please all and yet annoys almost all.
    I’m no fan so have bitten my toungue for long enough, but I think my views have now been validated.

  13. The issue for me isn’t one of the decisions made, although Bahrain was wrong, but the style of leadership. You have the situation of the FIA making pronouncements and then looking inept as they have to retract or significantly change them under a hail of critisim. Surely it would be better to have some more low-key proposals, get feed back from all interested parties (and not just those who have your position) and develop a reasonable solution that tries to keep as many people with you and stick with it. The trouble is Todt, like many political operators, holds his own interests above everyone elses.

  14. Oooh I’ve been waiting for this! Bahrain fiasco equals automatic disapproval.

  15. Total disapprove. Bahrain was a complete fiasco, ethically and in terms of F1’s PR worldwide. The FIA report was an insult to everyone’s intelligence. On those scores alone, Todt should resign. On F1 sporting issues, the shift to 4 cylinders seems utterly pointless and against the teams’ and fans’ wishes. And the postponement on the restrictions on hot blown diffusers was just weak.

  16. Disapprove!
    The mess with the Bahrain race, the changes to the calender to squeeze it in. Failure.
    Engine management rule changes, they shouldn’t be allowed to make changes to the regulations in the middle of the season. Again failure.
    I like though that he is not dictating everything and leaves the decisions up to the people who is to take the decisions, but the mess with Bahrain was just too much. He should have taken a stance there and freed F1 from the humiliation it really was.

  17. I voted disapprove.

    Why? Because of certain poor decisions (the ban of exhaust blown diffusors without any good reason, the managment of the Bahrain crisis, the 2013 engine, and even more restricting rules into the sport (that’s not the way no attract new contructors)), because I suspect him more and more of having privilege links with Ferrari, and because he’s starting right now a war with Bernie Ecclestone, and possibly the teams, bringng more stupid politic stories into the sport.

  18. The whole calendar is just a joke at the moment. Can you imagine if Wimbledon wasn’t ready for the tournament and asked if it could be swapped with another tournament.

    I don’t know any other sport where this nonsense happens.

  19. I will never forgive him for the 107% rule and DRS.

    1. Well, I think actually FOTA is to blame for both of those – they should have told Ferrari to stop the moaning about slow cars and get on with passing them instead (hm, with that DRS?), and DRS is a solution for a problem that isn’t really there all that much.

      I guess you are right insofar as FIA could have told the FOTA to hold off on DRS until it was clear whether it was even required with the new tyres, but still put it in the rules as a possibility.

  20. Too many Fiascos and indecisive moves in most of the points mentioned above. Bahrain was on then off so many times it was a joke. I wanted it to go ahead but with FOTA conclusively saying no and threatning a boycott they should never have published a new rearanged 2011 calender, very stupid. Same problem with the 2013 rules get a vote done and decied the rules now so teams and potential new engine supplyers interested in joining F1. Just now its the same as Bahrain a mess on and off! 2012 calender lets have as many races as possible, more cash for F1 and more F1 weekends would be brilliant, Nascar have about 40 races a year! Exhaust blown diffusers rule change should have been treated like the F-Duct. Ban it for 2012 but leave it till the end of the season. After all that negatives i’m excited about the World endurance championship and am looking forward to see developments on this. Huge disapprove for the first time since Todt took charge

  21. HounslowBusGarage
    20th June 2011, 13:28

    The 2012 provisional calendar with its “Spot the race that won’t go ahead” feature was daft.
    Going floppy on the 2013 rules was terminally unimpressive.
    But failing to check your own rule book before making an announcement AND getting it pointed out by your predecessor is just amateur.
    And this sport, more than many others, needs ap professional at the head.

    1. Even worse: maybe they didn’t fail to check their rules and that is why all of them decided unanimously, save in the knowledge that it couldn’t happen anyway.

      I wouldn’t be surprised, too much infighting and politics in preparation for the new Concorde agreement discussion and the like.

  22. Wholehearted disapproval. Bahrain felt like an indecisive child in a candy store and as a dissatisfied American any hint of our domestic boring spec series like NASCAR or Indy is appalling. F1 is a nice escape from what this country has to offer and I hope it stays that way. The more innovation the better.

  23. Ned Flanders
    20th June 2011, 13:47

    Keith, instead of approve/ disapprove/ no opinion, don’t you think a strongly approve/ moderately approve/ ambivalent/ moderately disapprove/ strongly disapprove system would work better.

    There’s often a fine line between liking or disliking something, but the vote doesn’t really reflect that. You have to either vote one way or the other- unless you count ‘no opinion’ as a middle ground, but I don’t, I interpret that option literally.

    For the record, I voted disapprove, for obvious reasons

    1. Admittedly, I know there’s no chance the system will change now because it’ll mess up the stats gathered over the last few months, so my previous comment was basically just a way to air my grievances!

  24. Disapprove. So far this season, the FIA led by Todt has never made me feel like ‘our’ sport is in good hands.

  25. disapprove – again.

    Bahrain, of course made F1 look very bad. How on earthe he chose to trust one of his own more than all major news agencies is … beyond me.

    Also, he just doesn’t communicate enough. And he could’ve been smarter in that. Like when the engine rules were announced, give interviews and tell every single journalist how glad you are that Ferrari (as member of the WMSC) supports the new engines and that this is an important milestone for F1. Nd remind everybody how we used to have these very same engines in the past. And how good they sounded back then.

    But no, he kept silent and now he is caught again with his pants down and FIA decisions look like a mockery again.

    I know Mosley sometimes overcommunicated (although that one time in the basement wasn’t his intention), but Todt just never is there. Leave, Jean.

    1. Oh, btw I could go on with evey measure to make mincemeat of it, but it’s just all bad, except for the endurance championship.

  26. I really like the Endurance Championship, I hear it will include Le Mans. But apart from that it’s been a lot of dithering and indecisiveness that only makes it confusing for the fans and puts the whole sport in a very bad light

  27. I always used to like jean todt as he was a capable figure in F1…someone who had so much promise to take over from Mr Whippy.

    But I have to say that I have been majorly dissapointed with Todt’s reign in the FIA as president. All hes done is to duck out & bullet dodge certain issues – Some of his proposals have been half-cot ideas – it also seems like hes a bit of a ditherer who hopes that someone else will make the decisions. His engine proposals are rubbish; his management of the stewards is as ever even more inconsistant. His proposal to ban Lewis for 6 races wouldve been suicidal for the sport and championship.

    Especially with the Hamilton issue, todt & the FIA have shown major hypocrisy & inadequecy – They seem to take such a high moral stance against Lewis but their farcicle handling of the bahrain debacle was quite disgusting and showed the true greed and corruptive minds of those in the FIA who cherry-pick when to play the moral high ground.

    Mosely may have been a very shady character (they all usually are at that level) – and his personal vandetta against Ron and mclaren was very self damaging…but at least when it came to the sport and the role of Presidency..he did do alot of good.

    Todt has been a real let down Im sorry to say. The biggest issue for the FIA is that they need to get someone in who has a lengthy motorsport experience but at the same time someone who has no interest or ties with any of the current participants in F1.

    However with F1 becoming so much of a corporate business, finding anyone experienced enough who doesnt have ties with any companies whic have an f1 interest will be very difficult.

    On another note – I think someone like Paul Stoddard would be a perfect guy for FIA presidency

    1. The FIA is about more than F1. Why should you single out no ties with F1, without also mentioning WRC etc?

  28. I think the Bahrain thing and the fact Todt looks bad is probably down to Bernie being a shrewd operator. I’m not happy about the repealing of what I thought were good rules for 2013 though. I had my friends and family excited about the regs too, and now I have to tell them they might not happen. Sigh.

    1. Yeah, I can fully understand what the Renault official told us the other day. If this yes/no/unsure goes on, his board will stuff the program for being utterly unimpressed.

  29. Disapprove, of course!
    Although I don’t understand the fuss around blown diffusers. Last season we witnessed open disregard to FIA Sporting regulations by FIA itself. ‘Hope you all remember Team orders issue. It was a benchmark to all inconsistencies of FIA policy in the future.
    On the other hand, FIA as organization, has to be directed with clear objectives in mind. Former President signed documents that should be observed in pursuing these goals (http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mobility/policy/Documents/Global_Warming.pdf).
    Obviously, this is not happening. We have hybrid cars with limited amount of recovered energy… It simply doesn’t comply with the spirit of these documents.
    Consequently, and not only because of it, FIA as organization puts itself on the long list of organizations guided by financial interest of people in position to manipulate FIA and the public in general.
    Mr. Mosley was good at it but Mr. Todt is doing even better. To our regret…

  30. I voted Disapprove.

    Why?
    Because of the chaos around the Bahrain decision and the changes to the 2013 regulations. I would have liked to see ground effect back and would like to see more powerful engines ( at least 1000 BHP). I like the World Endurance Championship, but that is just the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup with a different name. It’s nice to see that the ACO and FIA get along again. But the things that are wrong balance out the things that are right. So definitely, disapprove.

  31. Disapprove!
    Bahrain decision making was a fiasco.
    And regarding the 2013 engine change, in the present day financial climate, now is not the time to spend large sums developing a new engine no matter what its spec.

  32. Believe it or not, I actually now think Max Mosely was a better president than Jean Todt. Call me crazy, but MM wasn’t afraid to say what he needed to say, sometimes his views were wrong (in my opinion) and I see JT not actually doing much other than send people (not necessarily the right ones also) out to places to do his dirty work for him.

    MM was able to work a lot better with Bernie than JT, which is a major thing required if you are going to run Formula 1, GP2, GP3, GP2 Asia, and whatever series he runs/co-runs. Not to mention the safety restrictions put in place after the events of Imola 1994, and going to Ratzenberger’s funeral too. He done a lot of good during his time in Formula 1, and was a great successor to Balestre.

    I see that Jean Todt has done very little for Formula 1, or any other racing series run by the FIA for that fact. I thought the way he handled the ’13th team’ situation was silly. To decide that there will be a team, see loads of applicants arrive, and then tell them all that there will not be a 13th slot on the grid was quite pathetic. All I can see that he has done is that he approved the plans for the Circuit of the Americas, and the construction of the Buddh Circuit. Handling of Korea was also poor. This whole Bahrain farce just adds to the worries…

    My main concern however, is the regulations for 2013. 2012 will end in 17/18 months or so, and so far we have no idea what Formula 1 will look like. The teams appear just as clueless as we are, and many companies that produce things like engines, gearboxes, brakes and so forth at this rate, are going to have very little development time before the start of the 2013 season when testing gets underway in January.

    Don’t get me wrong, it was the right time for Mosely to retire, I just think that Jean Todt wasn’t the best guy for the job. I didn’t from the start and my opinion remains unchanged now…

  33. I’m unhappy. On top of the dreadful flip-flopping and indecisiveness over Bahrain which should have been the most easy decision in the world, that shows he’s not in touch with the strife over there, I also dislike the fact he said he considered banning Hamilton over some (imo) stupid but blatantly off the cuff remarks which didn’t reflect his actual opinion.

    1. Oh and I disapprove of his 2013 rule changes. It’s lunacy.

  34. The rule changes in regard to engines won’t happy and Todt knows they won’t. I think he’s been clever here, trying to push changes that go against Ferrari’s heart and soul, who most accuse Todt of being in bed with and bound to favour knowing full well they won’t happen and at the same time losing his ‘Ferrari puppet’ tag he’s had since taking the job.

    For all the rule changes proposed, anyone who thinks they’ll happen doesn’t know F1, it will the teams who decide the direction F1 takes, it always is and always will be. Without the teams there is no F1 and the FIA have nothing. Lets be honest, if the teams broke away from the FIA but still raced the F1 Championship without the FIA at the beginning of it, will anyone really care?

  35. I voted against,but then I would be hard to please as I see the FIA as nothing but another parasite riding on the back of F1 sucking the lifeblood of innovation out of the sport. Why do we need so many middlemen, why can’t the constructors and the drivers sort out the rules and appoint a professional agent to negotiate contracts and promote the sport for no more than a 10% fee.

  36. I voted down (I think) for the first time, mainly for the mess with Bahrain and 2013 engines (time’s ticking). I never thought I’d miss Mosley’s constant meddling, but Todt doesn’t seem to be doing anything at all, no decisions are being made.

    I’d forgotten about the return of WSC actually, I assume it it’ll remain the same as LMS currently, just with FIA approval?

  37. Unfortunately I had to tick ‘no’ on this occasion. Simply down to the Bahrain issue. I didn’t really care about the political/humanitarian side of things but make a decision and stick to it. The level of cohesion between the FIA, FOTA and FOM was poor at best, he should have brought them altogether and made them speak with one voice. I appreciate that’s a hard job, but it could have earned him a ‘yes’ from me so I think that particular aspect is very important.

  38. I disapprove. What he did about Bahrain is too much of a good reason to disapprove him

  39. Disapprove. Not even close but Bahrain would have overruled any success elsewhere. Of which there was not much anyway. He’s even failing to help his former team win…

  40. It’s not all bad, Things like the anti-doping drive are perfectly choson ideas.

    However Bahrain forces me to vote disprove.

    Todt needs to step back, take a big breath, and get out of the FIA zone he is in. Think about what is right. Not politics.

  41. On one side, I firmly disapprove of the whole handling of the Bahrain issue, it literally imploded in the FIA’s hands when they could have canned it definitively and avoided all this mess.

    However, I approve of the World Endurance Championship concept as long as they leave the running of it in the hands of the ACO and get the petrol-diesel equivalence right, this year’s Le Mans is a perfect springboard for the start of great things in endurance racing. So, on that basis, I’ve voted “no opinion”, can’t say I fully approve or disapprove.

  42. More good news for Todt:

    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/92499

    He’s trying to get the WRC back into the Middle East, since Abu Dhabi was not put on the 2012 calendar and Jordan has been dropped for next year. The WRC teams aren’t enthused about Middle Eastern rounds because of crowd numbers, but the entire point of the WRC is to race in some of the more extreme conditions on earth – and the Middle Eastern rounds certainly do that. Rally Jordan in particular was very unique, because the drivers sometimes struggled to see where the actual road was. And because the roads had been graded especially for the event (making the rally the first on the calendar was was effectively man-made) and sprayed with water from the Dead Sea, the surface had a diamond hardness not unlike bedrock that was murder on tyres. That’s a very unique surface type, and exactly the kind of thing the WRC should be rallying on. So kudos for Todt for trying to make it happen.

  43. Chris Goldsmith
    21st June 2011, 13:45

    Although I couldn’t pssibly approve of how things have panned out for the FIA this year, it’s hard to hold Todt personally responsible for it. He is, let’s face it, the public face of a large organisation. Let’s not forget that the ill-judged decision to reinstate Bahrain was taken after the FIA members voted unanimously in favour of doing so. Each with their own reasons for doing so, of course, some financial, some political, some perhaps even genuinely suckered in by the hokey report. The point is that Todt didn’t take this decision all by himself, and so it would be unfair to hold him personally responsible.

    Some other issues, however, do seem to bear the hallmarks of poor management. The issue of the 2013 regulations, constantly deliberated on but never galvanised by a solid decision either way, leaving teams and sponsors in limbo. Significant amounts of money have been invested into developing these engines and yet there’s a chance that all of that might have to be binned, or at least put on the back burner for a few years. Whether you approve or disapprove of the proposed regulations (and personally I’m in favour of the turbo engines), the whole situation has been terribly mishandled, and has the potential to overrun the deadlne for the next concorde agreement, at which point things will likely remain as they are. A terrible situation for all concerned, and much to the detriment of the sport.

    It’s not all bad though, working with the ACO to create a world endurance series is a brilliant step forward, and hopefully the first step towards raising the profile of sportscar racing globally.

    So mixed feelings from me. I would say that Todt hasn’t demonstrated a strong sense of leadership or direction at any point, and perhaps has swung too far int he opposite direction from Moselys authoritarian style, leaving the FIA looking weak and indecisive.

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