UpdateF1 >> Formula 1 News > The Nonsense has to Stop

FIA destroying F1

The nonsense has to stop.

It is unconventional, to say the least, for the lead story at UpdateF1 to take the form of what may read as an editorial piece, but the Editor feels we owe it to the fans to outline the nonsensical manner in which the sport we love is on the verge of being destroyed by people who serve to put their ego ahead of their role.

Yesterday, in a meeting of the Sporting Working Group ahead of this weekend’s German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, representatives of all 13 teams registered for the 2010 world championship – the eight FOTA aligned outfits, plus Williams and Force India – currently suspended from FOTA – and new entrants USF1, Campos and Manor – met with FIA delegates as is the given format.

FOTA later issued this statement:

“Representatives of all FOTA teams attended a meeting of the Sporting Working Group at the Nürburgring today.

During the course of this meeting, the team managers were informed by Mr Charlie Whiting of the FIA that, contrary to previous agreements, the eight FOTA teams are not currently entered into the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship and have no voting rights in relation to the technical and sporting regulations thereof.

It will be remembered that all eight active FOTA members were included on the “accepted” entry list as endorsed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) and communicated by FIA press statement on June 24.

In light of these claims, the FOTA representatives requested a postponement of today’s meetings. This was rejected on the grounds that no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved.

However, it is clear to the FOTA teams that the basis of the 2010 technical and sporting regulations was already established in Paris.

As endorsed by the WMSC and clearly stated in the FIA press statement of 24 June “the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009”. At no point in the Paris discussions was any requirement for unanimous agreement on regulations change expressed. To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy.

As a result of these statements, the FOTA representatives at the subsequent Technical Working Group were not able to exercise their rights and therefore had no option other than to terminate their participation.

The FOTA members undertook the Paris agreement and the subsequent discussions in good faith and with a desire to engage with all new and existing teams on the future of Formula One.”

Let us wind back the clock a couple of weeks and recap; you will remember that the FOTA teams initially submitted a combined and conditional entry, one that was not accepted by the FIA. On the 12th of July, however, the FIA declared the entry list for 2010 – the official announcement read as follows:

“Following the completion of the applications process for teams to compete in the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship, the following teams have been confirmed.

SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO
RED BULL RACING
AT&T WILLIAMS
FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM
CAMPOS GRAND PRIX
MANOR GRAND PRIX
TEAM US F1
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES*
BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM*
RENAULT F1 TEAM*
PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING*
BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM*

*These five teams have submitted conditional entries.The FIA has invited them to lift those conditions following further discussions to be concluded not later than close of business on Friday 19 June.”

The curious among us will note that the entries for Ferrari, and for the two Red Bull teams, are not highlighted with an asterisk, as the FIA insisted these teams were contractually bound to race in the 2010 world championship. Even at this stage, therefore, these teams had been accepted as entrants buy the FIA.

Moving on, and we all hailed the landmark meeting on June 24th at which certain conditions were agreed and the entries of all teams accepted by the World Motor Sport Council. The following statement was issued by the FIA following that meeting:

The World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on 24 June 2009, the following decisions were taken:

FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

All currently competing teams have committed to the FIA Formula One World Championship.

There will be no alternative series or championship and the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009.

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 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 One 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.

The following teams have been accepted for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.

SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES
BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM
RENAULT F1 TEAM
PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO
RED BULL RACING
AT&T WILLIAMS
FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM
BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM
CAMPOS META TEAM
MANOR GRAND PRIX
TEAM US F1

Back to the statement from FOTA after yesterdays farce, and I draw your attention to the following passage:

“During the course of this meeting, the team managers were informed by Mr Charlie Whiting of the FIA that, contrary to previous agreements, the eight FOTA teams are not currently entered into the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship....”

All evidence above says they are, and as nothing has changed since June 24th bar Mr Mosley getting upset at some apparent name calling, we have to call into question – very strongly – the methods by which the FIA are choosing to do business.

All along they have insisted Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso were contractually bound and, therefore, entered in 2010, yet now they decide they, along with the remaining five FOTA teams, are not.

The entry list published on June 24th, and accompanying statement, clearly indicates that all teams had entries that were no accepted, yet now they decide they do not, and the statement is erased from the FIA archives.

This cannot go on: we, the fans, deserve to be granted with more intelligence than the FIA appear to believe we have.

We do not care for Mr Mosley’s bruised ego, and nor do we consider it a good reason for the FIA to go back on previous agreements which we all know happened, despite the FIA efforts to wipe them from our memory.

We consider such moves an insult to us, to the people who are central to keeping this sport alive. We consider it, also, an insult to the sponsors, to the teams – both current and potential – and to the motor manufacturers who, quite frankly, would be justified in walking away.

We call on Mr Mosley, and the FIA, to stop playing games, to come out of the playground and take a look at what is happening: the events of yesterday have done nothing for the sport, a sport which – if we take the FIA at face value – has only ten cars for 2010, and this in the second week of July.

Events such as this serve only to muddy the waters, to turn the fans away, and to inspire potential sponsors to question whether their involvement is worth the effort.

We support FOTA in their hitherto dignified efforts to draw together the warring factions and to find a viable solution, and we wish them all the best in their efforts to restore peace; however, we support them equally should they opt to turn their back on what is rapidly becoming a worthless, farcical and ego driven organisation – the FIA.

Steve Turnbull

Written: Thu, 09 Jul 2009 08:26:14