FIA Set Date For Ferrari Team Orders Hearing
The FIA have announced that Ferrari will come before the World Motorsport Council hearing on September 8th.
Ferrari are being called before Formula One’s highest court for allegedly breaking rule 39.1, which states that team orders are not allowed in any form within the sport. The incident in question occured at the German Grand Prix two weeks ago, when Felipe Massa was allegedly asked to move aside so that Fernando Alonso could win the race.
Ferrari were immediately fined $100,000 and could face further penalties.
There was significant furor at the time of the incident, but it is now being called into question over whether they actually did break the rule or not. They did make one car move aside for the other, but the indication from Bernie Ecclestone (who sits on the judging panel) was that the rule is in place not to stop a team deciding which order their cars finish but moreover to stop two teams working together to fix the result of a race.
With the hearing only a matter of days before the Italian Grand Prix, it is likely any penalty will be met with distaste from the Italian Tifosi fans.
German GP 2010: Alonso Takes Controversial Victory – Ferrari Fined For Team Orders
Fernando Alonso has won today’s German Grand Prix at Hockenheim in highly controversial circumstances following team orders which led to Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa yielding the lead to Alonso.
Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel was 3rd.
Race Review
Sebastian Vettel got a poor start off the line unlike Fernando Alonso but the German forced Alonso right into the wall of the pit straight. However the young German ignored Felipe Massa who took the lead, and some how Alonso managed to keep 2nd place.
Lewis Hamilton had a good start and jumped both Jenson Button and Mark Webber.
Immediately there was action and drama with overtaking and break downs. A proper classic race circuit in Hockenheim, albeit not the original track, was on for providing us with a classic.
Jarno Trulli had gearbox issues which really destroyed any chances of a good result for him and he made it back to the pits eventually. Down at the hairpin turn 6, Jaime Alguersuari back ended team mate Sebastian Buemi the Swiss driver lost his rear wing and was forced to retire immediately.
Adrian Sutil had a problem too and the German dived into the pits. Moments later Liuzzi pitted too, and it was only many laps later we learnt that the team had been expecting the cars in a different order hence why a front wing was ready for Sutil when he didn’t need one. This meant that Sutil had Liuzzi’s tyres and Liuzzi had Sutil’s. A bit of a blooper from Force India who had been proving themselves a point scoring team this season. The drivers pitted to swap as the rules stated.
Following the pit stops of the front runners, all except Jenson Button who went for a long run, Fernando Alonso was heavily hassling Felipe Massa who was clearly struggling with the hard tyre. The Spaniard was trying everything to pass, including an audacious move between Massa and back marker Sakon Yamamoto but couldn’t make it stick.
Further back, home hero Michael Schumacher was struggling to pass Robert Kubica but the German finally appeared to have some race spirit back.
Sauber’s Pedro de La Rosa had a crazy race full of overtakes and bumping with other cars, but he only managed 13th in the end. With Kobayashi 11th, neither Sauber managed points on Sauber’s 40th anniversary in motorsport.
It had been a mildly exciting race up until now but the best was yet to come. For the first time in a long time, clear team orders were asked of Felipe Massa. Massa himself now denies the team asked him to move aside, and that he told his engineer he wanted Alonso past. Massa appeared to have a slow get away from the hairpin and Alonso slipped passed. It was a bad moment for Ferrari according to many, most comparing it to 2002 in Austria.
Alonso went on to win the race, and Massa held on to second and Vettel made third. Hamilton was 4th and Button was 5th, points again for McLaren who now have 300 in the constructors title.
Webber was 6th, although he had an oil consumption problem. It will be interesting to see if that affects the engine next week.
With regard the Ferrari team order situation, the team have been fined $100,000 and will have to appear in front of the World Motorsport Council. The classification remains unchanged.
Race Result – POST FIA
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time |
| 1 | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 1.28.38.866 |
| 2 | F. Massa | Ferrari | +4.196 |
| 3 | S. Vettel | Red Bull Renault | +5.121 |
| 4 | L. Hamilton | McLaren Mercedes | +26.869 |
| 5 | J. Button | McLaren Mercedes | +29.482 |
| 6 | M. Webber | Red Bull Renault | +43.606 |
| 7 | R. Kubica | Renault | +1 lap |
| 8 | N. Rosberg | Mercedes Benz | +1 lap |
| 9 | M. Schumacher | Mercedes Benz | +1 lap |
| 10 | V. Petrov | Renault | +1 lap |
| 11 | K. Kobayashi | Sauber Ferrari | +1 lap |
| 12 | R. Barrichello | Williams Cosworth | +1 lap |
| 13 | N. Hulkenberg | Williams Cosworth | +1 lap |
| 14 | P. De la Rosa | Sauber Ferrari | +1 lap |
| 15 | J. Alguersuari | Toro Rosso Ferrari | +1 lap |
| 16 | V. Liuzzi | Force India Mercedes | +2 laps |
| 17 | A Sutil | Force India Mercedes | +2 laps |
| 18 | T. Glock | Virgin Cosworth | +3 laps |
| 19 | B. Senna | Hispania Cosworth | +4 laps |
Retirements
| Driver | Team | Lap | Reason |
| H. Kovalainen | Lotus Cosworth | 58 | Unknown |
| L. di Grassi | Virgin Cosworth | 51 | Failure following spin |
| S. Yamamoto | Hispania Cosworth | 20 | Unknown |
| J. Trulli | Lotus Cosworth | 4 | Gearbox |
| S. Buemi | Toro Rosso Ferrari | 1 | Rear wing |
Post Race Penalties
Scuderia Ferrari – $100,000 for bringing the sport into disrepute through team orders
Heikki Kovalainen – Reprimand, no penalty due to incident with De la Rosa
Force India – Reprimand, no penalty for giving drivers wrong tyres
FOTA and FIA To Discuss Race Weekend Changes
FOTA and the FIA are set to meet to discuss a multitude of changes for the 2011 season, including selecting a tyre supplier and potentially changing the format of the race weekend.
The race weekend changes are something that has been discussed many times, including moving to a two race system with less laps. One sprint style race and one feature type race as seen in GP2 and formerly in A1GP.
The change possibilities have reared their heads once again as concerns grow over attendances at F1 circuits. The teams are plugging the fact that the calendar is poorly set out too, citing the single race in North America this season as a huge expense. The teams want either two race on the continent or no race at all.
“The meeting with Bernie was to talk about race weekend format, the calendar for next year and tyres,” Adam Parr the CEO of Williams F1 told Autosport. “We are all keen to improve the weekend format and make things more engaging for fans.”
“There are some ideas around about what we can do over race weekends to address the issues we have,”
“But it is too early to talk about it in detail, because it is by no means an agreed philosophy.”
“The costs have been driven up and up and up,” Parr added. “We are going to Canada and there is no way we as teams are going to make money going to Canada, so we are effectively subsidising that race. It is a one-off flyaway to North America and back again. It is crazy stuff – and very difficult.”
Outboard Wing Mirrors Banned By The FIA From Chinese GP
The outboard wing mirrors used by various teams including front runners Ferrari and Red Bull Racing are set to be banned from the Chinese Grand Prix onwards if an FIA source is to be believed.
The source told Autosport Magazine that the mirrors, which amny teams use to be able to incorporate outboard aerodynamic systems, will face a ban from the next round of racing after complaints from drivers about poor rearward vision. Many drivers were impeded during qualifying, a lot down to the shear number of cars on track now. Drivers including Michael Schumacher and Pedro de La Rosa have been particularly vocal about blocking in the last round in Australia.
The mirrors were an idea Ferrari brought to the table in 2005, and it was not until 2007 that other teams copied the designs. Now many cars carry the mirrors which will have to be moved to nearer the cockpit.
“Everyone has got a problem with mirrors,” said Sauber’s Pedro de la Rosa in Australia. “The reality is that the mirrors on the sidepods, they give you very small vision of what is happening behind and they vibrate a lot so you see very little.
“So if you don’t have a lot of information coming from the radio, then you have a problem. You can see when you have a car straight behind okay, but when it is two seconds behind you have no idea where it is.
“Everyone has the same problem, but since the mirrors have gone outboard this is a problem – as they are aerodynamic devices now.”
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who finished 3rd in the Australian Grand Prix says that he is quite happy with where his mirrors are located.
“I have no problem with my visibility,” he insisted. “So, if it is the same I prefer to keep what I have, but we will see how it is going to be. I hope we don’t lose anything moving the mirrors from one side to the other.”
This years Williams features outboard wing mirrors
Stand-In Drivers To Get Test Time As FIA Announce Rule Tweeks
Stand in or replacement F1 drivers will be allowed a single day of testing in an up to date car ahead of their debut according to new rule tweeks announced by the FIA today.
It means that new drivers, and ones who might have to stand in because of an injured race driver can have some time and experience to acclimatise themselves to the new car. Jaime Alguersuari for example replaced Sebastien Bourdais last season having not driven the Toro Rosso car other than in a straight line, potentially dangerous.
The rule states that a driver who has no recent mileage can have a single day of testing at a track not currently on the F1 calendar.
The new regulation reads: “If a team declares that one of its current race drivers is to be substituted by a driver who has not participated in an F1 race in the two previous calendar years, one day of track testing will be permitted between the start of the week preceding second Event and the last Event of the Championship.
“The following must be observed:
“Any such day may only be carried out by the new driver and may not take place on a circuit hosting a race in the current Championship year.
“Any such day may only take place within a period 14 days prior to the substitution and 14 days after the substitution has taken place.
“If a team, having declared the driver’s substitution and performed the test, does not then enter an Event with the new driver, the team will be penalised by a reduction of one day from the pre-season track testing days available in the following year.”
Another interesting tweek is to garage space. It states that all teams now have even amounts of garage room, whereas before the more successful teams had larger garages and lower teams had more cramped conditions.
Algersuari only did a straightline test before jumping on the F1 bandwagon last season
Renault Handed 2 Year Suspended Ban Sentence
The Renault Formula One Team were handed a 2 year suspended Formula One ban today after the World Motorsport Council met to discuss the alleged “Deliberate crash” by Nelson Piquet at the 2008 Singaporean Grand Prix.
Due to the severity of the situation, Renault are very lucky to recieve a suspended sentence, most likely because two of Renault’s top eecutives Flavio Briatore and Pat Symonds, 2 people Piquet alleges told him to crash, stepped down from their positions.
An FIA Statement read: “Renault had accepted, at the earliest practicable opportunity, that it committed the offences with which it was charged and cooperated fully with the FIA’s investigation. It had confirmed that Mr. Briatore and Mr. Symonds were involved in the conspiracy and ensured that they left the team; It apologised unreservedly to the FIA and to the sport for the harm caused by its actions;
“It committed to paying the costs incurred by the FIA in its investigation; and Renault (the parent company, as opposed to Renault F1) committed to making a significant contribution to FIA safety-related projects.”
The FIA explained their decision after the court left this afternoon.
“Renault F1′s breaches not only compromised the integrity of the sport but also endangered the lives of spectators, officials, other competitors and Nelson Piquet Jr. himself. The World Motor Sport Council considers that offences of this severity merit permanent disqualification from the FIA Formula One World Championship.
“However, having regard to the points in mitigation mentioned above and in particular the steps taken by Renault F1 to identify and address the failings within its team and condemn the actions of the individuals involved, the WMSC has decided to suspend Renault F1′s disqualification until the end of the 2011 season. The World Motor Sport Council will only activate this disqualification if Renault F1 is found guilty of a comparable breach during that time.”
Fernando Alonso was present but not accused of any crime. It is unknown whether Flavio Briatore will persue blackmail charges against Nelson Piquet Snr.
BMW Gets A Buyer, And 2010 Grid Slot Likely
BMW Sauber have announced this morning that they have found a buyer for their Formula One team.
Qadbak International are a Swiss based foundation representing the interests of several wealthy Middle Eastern and European families, and are headed up by a Lionel Fischer.
They have purchased the team outright, and are looking forward to starting their challenge.
“A strong investor has therefore been found for the Hinwil-based team,” BMW said in a statement.
“Qadbak’s interest in the team will be represented by Lionel Fischer, a Swiss national. BMW wishes Qadbak and the Sauber Team every success for the 2010 season and beyond.”
The only issues thus far for Qadbak is that the final grid slot, previously home to the BMW team has been filled with Team Lotus. However, the FIA are now considering adjusting the rules to allow for 28 cars [16 teams], or perhaps they will fill Renault’s place if they are thrown out of the World Championship over the Crash-Gate scandal.
Nevertheless Qadbak, and BMW are sure their team will line up for 2010.
“We are pleased to confirm that the FIA has indicated that we may have a place in the 2010 Formula One World Championship. The team expects to line up on the grid for the first race of the 2010 season.” Said a team statement.
2010 Formula One Rules Announced By FIA
The FIA have published their 2010 sporting regulations and technical regulations today.
The articles, posted on the official FIA website (Sporting: Click Technical: Click ) outline some new rules, most notably qualifying regulation.
Q1 and Q2 will now see 8 cars demoted out of each session, with 10 cars being able to run in the final Q3 portion. These cars in Q3 will run in the low fuel format as seen this season to allow for the fact that no refuelling may take place during the race itself. The 8 car rule comes in as 3 new teams, Campos, Manor and USF1 are joining the sport.
Another important point to note is the lack of change to the point scoring system, meaning that Bernie’s silly medal system is out of the window completely.
Tyre warmers will be allowed despite previous indications from the FIA being that they would be banned. Minimum car weights have been increased to 620KG to allow for the KERS system, despite all teams saying they will run without the power boosting systems for 2010 to allow a level playing field.
Also worth noting is the lack of two tier racing.
Further Cost Reduction Detail Emerge From German Magazine
Highly regarded German car magazine Auto Motor und Sport have revealed some of the future cost reduction methods being outlined by the FIA.
While the overall actual plan of cost reduction is a closely guarded secret, AMuS claim these findings are from the highest sources.
The cost reduction proposals include:
- Reducing the number of staff travelling to races to 45, meaning double-ing up of jobs in a similar way to how driver Physio’s act as their pitboard men.
- Tem expenditure (excluding Driver + management salary and marketing) will be capped to 100m Euro in 2010 and 50m Euro in 2011
- Factory based staff reduction to 350 for 2010 and 280 for 2011. More staff will be allowed if teams make more in-house products like engines, gearboxes etc.
These proposals don’t really fill me with hope here at The F1Fanatics Blog. In truth, the cap on members of staff at races is stupid as people already double up, such as those physio’s being pitboard men, and sometimes you find Chef’s and refuellers who are also truckies and stuff. We dont want too few staff so that corners are cut and safety is hindered. Staff will also have to be fired from teams which is unfair given the current economic problems and the lack of job availability especially for these highly skilled workers.
Indeed, I believe if the FIA wants to save money on personnel at races they should have less races outside of Europe to dramatically cut down on flight and freight costs. More European GP’s should help the staff to be available much more cheaply.
Burti Calls For More Visor Safety After Massa Incident
Luciano Burti, a former F1 driver who is probably best known for his huge accident at the 2001 German Grand Prix, or even at the Belgian Grand Prix of the same season has called on the FIA to increase helmet safety even further.
Burti, a fellow Brazilian race driver of Massa’s crashed heavily at the Belgian GP of 2001, when he clashed with Eddie Irvine of Jaguar and his Prost was embedded deep into the tyre wall. His helmet was badly damaged, much more so than Massa’s and left him with a brain concussion – pretty much why his F1 career came to an end so quickly.
Burti admitted that Carbon Fibre helmets have proven to be stronger in Massa’s case, however Burti cites his visor being in-tact because of 4 screws whereas Massa’s collapsed because it is only held by 2 screws to save on weight. Luciano wants the FIA to make 4 screws compulsory.
“After Felipe’s accident at the Hungaroring, I can see the helmet’s evolution since my accident in the Belgium GP 2001,” said Burti, who now commentates on F1 for Brazilian TV.
“Looking at the pictures of my helmet, we can see that if it was made of carbon fibre, like they are today, the damage would have been be less significant.
“This shows the merit of the FIA and helmet constructors on improving drivers’ safety.
“But at the same time, I would like to point something out. You can see on my helmet, even with the strong front impact against the tyre barriers, the visor remained attached because it was fixed by four screws, different than most helmets which have two screws only for visor fixing (to reduce weight).
“But on Felipe’s accident, we could see the visor became loose because the screw didn’t resist the strong impact, and with the face exposed, he could have suffered worse consequences, especially on the face and eyes.”
Luciano Burti came to Formula One in 2000, racing a single GP with the Jaguar team finishing in 11th place. The team signed him as a driver for 2001, but he was fired after just 5 races. He managed to secure a seat at Prost however when Gaston Mazzacane was released, and Burti continued racing. After the Belgian GP crash he never raced an F1 car again competitively, but worked as a test driver with Ferrari until 2004 when he conceded his injuries were too bad for him to race again.
Luciano Burti's huge crash at the German GP, the first of two massive incident for the Brazilian...
F1 Teams And FIA Finally Agree On 2009 Concorde Agreement
Formula One finally hit peace last night between the FIA and FOTA teams, when Max Mosley signed the new 2009 Concorde Agreement.
FOTA, the teams association, previously said they were going to split from the FIA and F1 over Max Mosley’s beligerent rule changes and constant rule changes. However after a serious of meetings, many of which containing heated moments, the FIA announced this morning that a new agreement securing the F1 future was signed.
“Following approval by the World Motor Sport Council, late last night FIA President Max Mosley signed the 2009 Concorde Agreement, heralding a renewed period of stability for the FIA Formula 1 world championship,” said an FIA statement.
“The WMSC has also approved a slightly revised set of stable sporting and technical regulations (to apply from the 2010 championship onwards), which have been agreed by the FIA and the teams and which will be published shortly on the FIA’s website.
“The new Concorde Agreement, which runs until 31 December 2012, provides for a continuation of the procedures in the 1998 Concorde Agreement, with decisions taken by working groups and commissions, upon which all teams have voting rights, before going to the WMSC for ratification.”
All of the teams are signed up, except BMW who are have another 4 days onto which to sign an agreement of a place next season.
A meeting will take place soon to discuss more cost cutting measures.
BMW Sauber To Leave Formula One At The End Of 2009
BMW have announced that their Formula One team, BMW Sauber will not be competing in F1 beyond the end of the 2009 season.
It is a bitter blow for the German/Swiss team which had seen gains through 2007 and 2008, but have suffered with a poor car in 2009.
The team were formed after BMW, who had supplied engines to Williams from 2000-2005, decided to buy out Peter Sauber’s small but successful Swiss team, Sauber based in Hinwil. They took over, and in 2006 they had an average season with Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve at the wheel. In 2007 they were much more competitive with Robert Kubica partnering Heidfeld. In 2008, Kubica recorded the teams first victory in Canada, a circuit where a season before RK left in a medical helicopter following a horror shunt.
Dr. Norbert Reithofer, chairman of BMW said this morning: “Of course, this was a difficult decision for us. But it’s a resolute step in view of our company’s strategic realignment,” he said.
“Premium will increasingly be defined in terms of sustainability and environmental compatibility. This is an area in which we want to remain in the lead. In line with our Strategy Number ONE, we are continually reviewing all projects and initiatives to check them for future viability and sustainability. Our Formula 1 campaign is thus less a key promoter for us.
“Mario Theissen has been in charge of our motor sports program since 1999. We have scored a large number of successes in this period, including some in Formula 1 racing. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Mario Theissen and his team for this.”
There are lots of unknown’s following today’s ruling. The team is likely to be put up for sale, and could be bought by one of the teams who failed to get into F1 such as Lola or Prodrive or perhaps by a new investor looking to buy a going concern. The latter would secure jobs, but if the slot is made available then the jobs will be lost. Epsilon Euskadi has expressed interest in taking the slot of the team if they fold altogether.
Robert Kubica is a very talented and young driver, and although he stated he is keen to try his hand at rallying it is likely a big team will buy him in. Williams could be looking for a Nico Rosberg replacement, McLaren are looking for a replacement for Heikki Kovalainen or perhaps if Massa will not drive in F1 again and Alonso doesn’t have a contract with the Italian’s he could make a shock move to Ferrari. Nick Heidfeld on the other hand is far more uncertain, and at his age he might struggle to get another drive on the back of always promising good things but never really delivering.
Renault Handed European Grand Prix Race Ban After Alonso Tyre Failure
The Renault F1 Team have been handed a suspension from the next round of the FIA Formula One World Championship in Valencia, the European Grand Prix after Fernando Alonso’s tyre incident in this afternoon’s Hungarian GP.
The Spaniard was released from the pits, his first scheduled stop with the front right hand wheel not correctly attached. The wheel hun “spinner” then spun round at high speed, undoing the centre nut and releasing the tyre from its housing sending it bouncing down the Hungaoring circuit. It was a tyre that hit Henry Surtees’ helmet in Formula 2 last week, killing the 19 year old.
The FIA reprimanded the team under safety breach 3.2 with article 32.1.i being broken, with the car being knowingly released from a pitstop without being safe.
The statement said that Renault “knowingly released car no. 7 from the pitstop position without one of the retaining devices for the wheel-nuts being securely in position, this being an indication that the wheel itself may not have been properly secured.”
It added that Renault, “being aware of this, failed to take any action to prevent the car from leaving the pitlane….failed to inform the driver of this problem or to advise him to take appropriate action given the circumstances, even though the driver contacted the team by radio believing he had a puncture.”
Renault will appeal the decision, with an appeal, the letter and 6,000 Euro fee being lodged around 20 minutes ago by Renault management at the circuit. The hearing will likely take place within the next 2 weeks.
Alonso's Renault with the near wheel rim clearly out of position compared with the other Renault of Nelson Piquet passing.
Meanwhile Kimi Raikkonen was cleared of any wrong doing in connection with making contact with Sebastian Vettel, the stewards deemed he lost control of the car and touched in a “racing incident”.
Rossi Would Drive 3rd Ferrari In New Series
Valentino Rossi has been quoted as saying he would happily drive a 3rd Ferrari race car if one was fielded in the potentially new FOTA racing series.
Everyone thought that the FIA/FOTA war was over as Max Mosley brought the rules for 2010 back to the 2009 ones, said there would be more continuity and also declared he would step down in October at the end of his term as FIA president.
However these promises were thrown into doubt after British newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph produced an open letter sent from Mosley to Luca di Montezemolo the head of Ferrari and the FOTA that he could well stand for another term. Christian Horner said this morning that another war between FOTA and the FIA would be terrible for the sport, but it looks likely the battle’s could begin once again.
Rossi, who just won his 100th Motorcycle Grand Prix has driven for Ferrari twice before, most recently last year impressing with the 2008 car on the Mugello circuit. He has also dabbled with World Rally Championship. His contract with Yamaha motorcycles ends in 2010 and a 2011 race car seat could be beckoning.
“I am quite happy about it, it could happen in 2011 — why not?” Rossi was quoted as saying by Corriere Dello Sport
“In 2010 I have a contract with Yamaha so it would be difficult or even impossible. What’s more, Ferrari do not have a third car and I have taken no decision about changing sport,”
Refuelling Ban Still On For 2010 Despite FOTA/FIA Agreements
The refuelling ban set out by the FIA as part of it’s eleborate new rule system for the 2010 season will still go ahead despite the majority of the new regulations being binned after FOTA/FIA agreement talks for FOTA team involvement in the 2010 Formula One Season.
The teams are fairly positive towards the refuelling ban due to the high cost of transporting refuelling equipment around the world, and also some accidents which have led to large fires, such as Jos Verstappen’s memorable pitfire at Hockenheim 1994, Eddie Irvine 1995 at Spa and Michael Schumacher’s at the 2003 Austrian Grand Prix when despite flames licking the car he still went on to win the Grand Prix.
A source within FOTA said this was still on track, despite 2009 rule revisions for 2010.
The source said: “There will be a few amendments to the rules that need to be agreed unanimously. This will be about refuelling and a few other items, and should be completed in the next few weeks.”
A pitfire for Gianmaria Bruni's Minardi in 2004
Just wanted to add, R.I.P Michael Jackson – King of Pop who sadly died yesterday evening of a cardiac arrest.
FIA/FOTA War Over As Agreement Made At Last Minute
An agreement between the FIA and FOTA has been made at the last moment in an emergency meeting called in Paris today.
With all FOTA member teams present, along with members of the FIA, including the contraversial Max Mosley who also said today he will not stand for another term as president, a deal was reached for a single racing series – F1. FOTA will now not breakaway from the standard formulae.
The concorde agreement of 1998 will be continued, along with new rules which agree to cost cutting over the next few seasons. Technical assistance will also be offered to the three new teams allowed into F1, USF1, Campos and Manor.
“There will be no split,” said Mosley. “We have agreed to a reduction of costs. There will be one F1 championship but the objective is to get back to the spending levels of the early 1990s within two years.”
“They’ve got the rules they want and the stability; we’ve got the new teams in and the cost reduction…so that’s very helpful.”
Mosley added “As far as I’m concerned, the teams were always going to get rid of me in October. Well they still are.”
The official statement from the FIA read;
“The manufacturer teams have further agreed to the permanent and continuing role of the FIA as the sport’s governing body. They have also committed to the commercial arrangements for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship until 2012 and have agreed to renegotiate and extend this contract before the end of that period.
“All teams will adhere to an upgraded version of the governance provisions of the 1998 Concorde Agreement.
“As part of this agreement, the teams will, within two years, reduce the costs of competing in the championship to the level of the early 1990s.
“The manufacturer teams have agreed to assist the new entries for 2010 by providing technical assistance.”
The teams and FIA made a unilateral agreement for the future...
F1 Is Over As FOTA Pull Out
Good evening everyone who is reading, or follows my blog. Today is one of the most pivotal days in Formula One’s history. As we enter the British Grand Prix weekend, it was annonuced very early this morning that the remaining FOTA member teams will be leaving Formula One and starting their own racing series.
The announcement follows months of political deliberation, open letters, arguments, scuffles, driver questions, theories, rumours and a good helping of bad publicity for the sport which has been thrown into disrepute repeatedly since 2007 with Spy-Gate, Max Mosley’s dealings in a sex dungeon and now the end of the motorsport as we know it.
FOTA members; Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing, Panasonic Toyota F1 Team, BMW Sauber, Scuderia Toro Rosso and ING Renault have all said they will leave F1 after no agreement between FOTA and the FIA has been reached over rule changes.
If you follow F1, this has been coming for a long time. Too many rule changes, too many restrictions and Max Mosley took it one step too far this time and has led to the downfall of the sport.
“The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 World Championship,” said a statement issued by FOTA after the meeting.
“These teams therefore have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new Championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners. This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders.
“The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series.”
Max Mosley has done what he always does and says “They can’t do that” and will be launching a legal case against FOTA, which will probably get nowhere. It’s a knee-jerk reaction which may cause minor ruptions but Mosley seems to be missing the bigger picture. And with Bernie Ecclestone saying Max needs to sort it out, the head man of the FIA looks set to be the bad guy in this, which in all truth’s is deserved as his meddling has got us into this mess.
“The FIA’s lawyers have now examined the FOTA threat to begin a breakaway series,” said the FIA in a statement.
“The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari’s legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law.
“The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay.
“Preparations for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship continue but publication of the final 2010 entry list will be put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights.”
It has left F1 with a roadshow for 2010 and only 5 teams. Williams and Force India who brokeaway from FOTA are now stuck in F1, along with Manor, US F1 Team and Campos who all were accepted entries into the sport for next season. The teams which failed including Lola and N.Technology have all swiftly withdrawn any such entries in the wake of the FOTA break-away and one can imagine they will be applying for the new series if such applications are formally allowed.
“With much regret, taking into consideration the highly questionable process conducted by the FIA, which is affected by many irregularities, and the uncertainties regarding the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the MSC board decided last night to withdraw its application, as Team N.Technology, under the new regulations allowing entry of ‘capped budget’ teams,” said the statement.
“MSC believes that through its wrong actions and objectionable management methods, the FIA severely hurt MSC’s efforts to become a new team and undermined the Formula 1 sport, taken as a whole.”
So what next for FOTA and indeed for this blog. Well, I am probably going to loosely cover the F1 event of this weekend the British GP [in time] and again some coverage until the end of the season. But if FOTA launch a rival series, F1Fanatics WILL, i repeat WILL be following the teams and supporting the new series. A post will be brought up soon with how FOTA could go about launching the new series. Keep your eyes peeled, and remember support FOTA’s actions.
FIA Announce 2010 Entry List
The FIA have announced the 2010 Formula One entry list, which has been under massive scrutiny for the past few months with big teams threatening to walk away and the entry list of new teams, which totaled 15 but only 3 teams would make it onto the official list.
All of the FOTA member teams appear on the list of entry, but Brawn, McLaren, Toyota, Renault and BMW Sauber are conditional to them signing a new agreement.
The new teams allowed in from the 15 are US F1, Campos and Manor.
| Team | Constructor | About |
| Scuderia Ferrari | Ferrari | |
| Scuderia Toro Rosso | Toro Rosso TBA | |
| Red Bull Racing | Red Bull TBA | |
| AT&T Williams | Williams Toyota | |
| Force India F1 | Force India Mercedes | |
| Campos Grand Prix | Campos Cosworth | New |
| Manor Grand Prix | Manor Cosworth | New |
| Team US F1 | US F1 Cosworth | New |
| BMW Sauber | BMW | Conditional |
| Renault F1 | Renault | Conditional |
| Panasonic Toyota | Toyota | Conditional |
| Brawn GP F1 Team | Brawn Mercedes | Conditional |
| McLaren Mercedes | McLaren Mercedes | Conditional |
Bernie – Team’s Can’t Set Up Their Own Series
Bernie Ecclestone believes that the manufacturer groups threatening to walk away from Formula One over dispute with the FIA, would have no luck trying to found their own series.
Bernie cites issues with sponsorship, events, governance, fans (and lack of) amongst other things, including contracts he holds with them saying they will be in F1 until 2012.
Ecclestone also believes in an era of cost cutting that boards of the major motor manufacturers like Toyota and BMW would be uneasy at funding a brand new racing series.
“If they do try to set up their own series – and I don’t think they will be able to – there are big problems ahead for them,” Ecclestone told the Daily Express.
“Apart from my contracts with teams, if somebody went to any of our contracted people, companies, television contractors, we would view it very seriously.
“That would be inducement to breach contracts and I don’t do that myself, so I won’t stand back and let it happen. Any action could run to hundreds of millions of pounds, who knows how much?”
“I’m not sure that the boards of teams such as Toyota and BMW, who are already looking to cut costs in F1, would sympathise and bankroll their teams going off to a series which would not be the FIA F1 championship,”
Drivers Unanimously Support FOTA After Secret Sunday Meeting
FOTA held a secret meeting in one of the team’s motohomes in Turkey this morning, with the drivers in attendance as they look for a solution to the crisis which is splitting Formula One in two.
The meeting hearalded that all of the drivers with the current FOTA members were in favour of their teams views against budget caps, and against having hoardes of in-experienced small teams in the sport replacing the manufacturers.
Jarno Trulli said: “All the drivers have the same feeling: to follow FOTA and respect above all the work they are doing on the coming rules and the running of Formula 1 in a serious way for the future.
“We were called today to be kept informed because of the rules not being clear and, being one of the few things that we have read, do not work and needed to be talked about from our part for reasons of safety.
“(Concerning) these rules, which we do not in any case consider are adequate, we share the same vision as FOTA.”
When asked if he thought there would be a FOTA breakaway series, he commented: “I know that in the next week something should budge, it must move. Otherwise there will inevitably then be a split.”
All FOTA Member Teams Back Down And Sign For F1 In 2010
All of the FOTA member teams have backed down for now in their fight against the FIA’s new rules by entering themselves into the F1 World Championship for 2010.
Ferrari, Renault, Toyota and Red Bull have been leading the way to leave the sport in the wake of massive new rules changes being brought about by the sports governing body.
However now those changes look to be laxed slightly, the teams have signed up with a condition to leave if a concorde agreement with their terms is not brought by June 12.
“The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance,” said FOTA in a statement.
“[The 2009 rules must be] identical for all competitors and amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA.”
“All FOTA teams’ entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole,” added the statement.
“All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance.”
Lola Announce 2010 Submission
Lola Racing have announced a submission to join the F1 series for 2010.
The sportscar company formerly entered cars in F1, most recently 1997 when their cars ran just 1 race, being far and away off the pace of everyone else and pulling out through financial issues.
The managers refused to comment until June 12 when the final 2010 entry list is released, by given that the current entries will be allowed in, and there is space for 26 there is a good chance they will be there.
Embassy Lola T370 being driven by Graham Hill
Williams Suspended From FOTA Following 2010 Entry
The Williams F1 Team have been formally suspended from the teams racing group FOTA following their announcement and confirmation of a written entry to the FIA for the 2010 Formula One World Championship.
During the Monaco Grand Prix weekend a series of meetings were held to discuss the future of the current teams in Formula One, primerily the manufacturers. However all teams involved in FOTA were told they would be suspended should the formally send an application to the FIA for their continued entry into F1 for 2010.
The teams are trying to stick together as they fight Max Mosley’s now dictatorship of a governing body to the pinnacle of motorsport, with Ferrari, Toyota, Red Bull and Renault leading the way out of the changing sport and heading possibly for a new rival series made up of manufacturer backed teams.
Frank Williams head of the Williams team admitted it was unfortunate to be suspended, but he respected the actions. He hoped FOTA and the fans would respect their decision to continue entering as they have a contract with Bernie Ecclestone to stay in the sport until 2012.
“FOTA’s decision, although regrettable, is understandable.” Williams said today
“However, as a racing team and a company whose only business is Formula 1, with obligations to our partners and our employees, submitting our entry to next year’s championship was unquestionable.
“In addition, we are legally obliged under our contract with FOM and the FIA to participate in the World Championship until the end of 2012.”
Raikkonen – I Will Stand By Ferrari Whatever
Kimi Raikkonen has pledged his allegance with Scuderia Ferrari on the day that the FIA/Ferrari court ruling went in the FIA’s favour, possibly spelling the end of the Italian companies involvement with F1.
Raikkonen, who joined the team in 2007 and immediately went on to win the world title said he would race in any category for the team which he sees as part of his extended family.
“I will still have a contract with them and they are racing in many different categories, so I think they will find something for me.” Raikkonen said in Monaco
“I work for Ferrari and we are one big family. It is my work and it is the place where I want to race. Whatever they do, I will do the same with them. We are one family and we do things together.”
He believed that with the swathes of manufacturers leaving and minor independent teams entering, F1 would not be the pinnacle of motorsport any more.
“For me, if Ferrari is not in F1 nor any other big team like BMW or McLaren, it is not good for F1. They are the teams that make F1 and if you change the teams for other teams, new teams that come from GP2 or somewhere else, then it is not the same any more.
“F1 for me is all about the big teams, we race together and try to be the best. That is my opinion, but everybody has their own ideas.”
Ferrari Lose FIA Appeal – Chances Are They Will Leave F1
Scuderia Ferrari have lost the monumentally important case against the FIA about the future of Formula One today after yesterday’s hearing in Paris.
The Italian company held a veto against the FIA and have done since 1998, deciding to use it for the first time against the FIa in the wake of a £40million imposed budget cap leading to a two-tier F1 series.
Manufacturers have all been against the idea of a new budget cap.
The decision means that it is unlikely Ferrari will remain in Formula One from next season, the only team ever to have competed in every single Grand Prix will be gone. Renault, Toyota, Red Bull Racing and possibly McLaren too could be leaving, as could Mercedes Benz as an engine supplier.
