At the beginning of November 1992, F1 was not in the rudest of health, with Autosport’s front cover proclaiming that the sport was in crisis and detailing an ‘emergency summit to save Grand Prix racing.’ Spoiler alert: it survived.
Nonetheless, Autosport reported that Max Mosley, the FISA president, had called an emergency meeting to discuss the sport’s future. Among the points he wanted to debate was, “his concern for the environment: he is particularly keen to reduce emissions and make engines more economical.” This reflected comments from Honda and other Japanese manufacturers, voicing their displeasure at F1’s direction, Honda’s CEO Nobuhiko Kawamoto calling for cars, “that are intelligent, but more efficient.”
Autosport added, “To make up the numbers in Formula 1 costs around £1million per month and to compete at the front can cost three times that. As the worldwide recession bites deeper, sponsors are becoming thinner on the ground, and the smaller teams face financial ruin.”
There is plenty more on the crisis, and on preparations for what looked set to be Nigel Mansell’s final F1 race later in the month, here.
