Wolff: More details needed about Liberty's F1 proposals

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff wants more details from Liberty regarding its 2021 vision for Formula 1 after a series of proposals were laid out in Bahrain on Friday, calling the meeting a "starting point".

F1 bosses including CEO Chase Carey and technical chief Ross Brawn met with representatives from all 10 teams to further outline its blueprint for the sport after 2020, when the existing commercial agreements expire.

Wolff: More details needed about Liberty's F1 proposals

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff wants more details from Liberty regarding its 2021 vision for Formula 1 after a series of proposals were laid out in Bahrain on Friday, calling the meeting a "starting point".

F1 bosses including CEO Chase Carey and technical chief Ross Brawn met with representatives from all 10 teams to further outline its blueprint for the sport after 2020, when the existing commercial agreements expire.

A five-point plan was outlined, including a cost cap and a restructuring of revenue payouts, as well as a streamlining of governance and a commitment to improving the on-track product.

The proposals were met with positive noises from many of F1's midfield teams, with Williams deputy chief Claire Williams saying she wanted to "crack open a bottle of champagne" following the meeting, but there were concerns prior to the meeting as to how bigger manufacturer operations such as Mercedes and Ferrari would react to cost-saving measures.

Speaking to reporters in Bahrain, Wolff remained largely coy about the meeting, but said he wanted to hear finer details from Liberty about its plans before passing firm judgement.

"There are many ideas and proposals that have been either overdue or necessary or good, and then there are some that are very challenging and need details to really understand," Wolff said.

"I think we are in 2018 today, and there is a set of ideas and concepts for 2021 that need refinement, that need understanding of the detail.

"And only then I think it is the right moment for the teams to decide whether this is something they like, they wish to participate in or not."

It is understood the teams were presented with the plan as a firm outline for the future, with Williams saying she was "not sure that these discussions are negotiable", leaving little room for teams to rally against them.

However, Wolff said he saw the meeting as being the start of discussions about the sport's future as opposed to being a final definition of what it would look like.

"There is nothing such as a 'fait accompli' because you can always decide if you like it or don't. I think where we are today is that this is the starting point of a dialogue," Wolff said.

"Chase [Carey] used a sentence that is intelligent that says 'we have no exclusivity to good ideas'. We will be starting discussions, they will be starting discussions with each of the teams to see and understand their perspective."

Asked what would be the most difficult aspect of the proposals for Mercedes to adhere to, Wolff said: "I think that the detail of the proposal needs understanding, and in so far, it's very difficult at that stage to say what is the most difficult for us to achieve or not."

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