Ferrari made a “MotoGP” style proposal for the use of customer teams in Formula 1. The idea was voted down by both the teams and the FIA.

Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto confirmed that the Italian side presented a “MotoGP” style proposal for the use of customer teams in Formula 1, but added that the idea was voted down by both the teams and the FIA.

While F1 regulations ensure each team designs at least the key elements of its car, MotoGP allow customer teams to purchase complete packages from the factory outfits. Ducati, Yamaha, Honda and KTM all supply a customer team with up to date machinery, with Ducati also supplying a second with one-year-old hardware.

Mattia Binotto explained: “On what should be the future during the Covid period, during the discussions as Ferrari we brought at least as a proposal to consider customer… the big teams, as we’ve eventually got in MotoGP for example, but that proposal was pushed back by the entirety of, let me say, the teams and F1 and the FIA, which we fully understand.” – he added.

Far from making the racing less exciting, this exaggerated number of competitive bikes has seen Yamaha customer team Petronas Yamaha SRT take victory in each of the first two races of the season.

However, the Ferrari boss accepts that a change on this scale would alter the DNA of Formula 1: “I think that has been a decision we all took together. I think as Marcin [Budkowski – Renault executive director] said before, somehow, we decided that each single team should be independent, they should be capable of doing their own proper developments, I think they have the means now with the new Concorde Agreement and the regulations are sufficiently clear to do that. So yes, it will be great to have 10 teams, 10 different cars certainly on the grid.” – Scuderia Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto concluded.