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Jean Todt has paved the road for more high-profile date clashes between key races like F1 grands prix and the iconic Le Mans. This year, the clash of the inaugural Baku round with Le Mans was highly controversial but FIA president Todt has this week played it down.
From the FIA sport conference in Turin, Italy's Autosprint quoted the Frenchman as saying that preventing calendar clashes is "a kind of mission impossible". "I talk about how many important categories of motor sport there are and the fact there are only 52 weekends," he said.
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Indeed, just last weekend, 70-year-old Todt attended the start of the Le Mans 24 hours and then by Sunday was on the Baku grid. "Even on TV it was possible to follow the start of the grand prix and the end of the 24 hours if you really wanted to," he insisted.
Many people pointed the finger at Bernie Ecclestone for the 2016 Baku-Le Mans clash, and Todt admitted that he would like the FIA to have a bigger say when it comes to governance. As for the future, Todt indicated that when Ecclestone is eventually replaced, the Paris federation will have a say on who his successor is. "The current promoter has done a remarkable job to develop formula one," he said.
"That does not mean we are always in agreement, but I respect all that has been done. Bernie has his own style, as anyone does. If the majority shareholder decides to change the management, they will make a proposal and it should be adequate for the FIA, so I have no real concerns. But without going into details, yes, there needs to be a final agreement with the FIA," Todt added. (GMM)
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
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