Top F1 Teams Begin Preparations For Alternative Championship
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Eight F1 Teams Threatening To Break
Off And Form New Championship |
F1 is "facing the biggest crisis in its history" after the "majority of the teams decided to begin preparations for an alternative championship" Thursday night, according to Edward Gorman of the LONDON TIMES. Eight teams "decided that they had no alternative but to set up their own series" in a move that "could signal the end of the hegemony over motor sport's pinnacle category" by F1 Management Chair Bernie Ecclestone and FIA President Max Mosley. The teams involved -- Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Brawn GP, Red Bull and Toro Rosso -- employ "almost all the top drivers in the sport." The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) said that it had "genuinely sought a compromise solution in the row with the FIA over budget capping for next season, but made no progress." The dispute over budget capping "may be the immediate cause of the split, but there is no doubt that the rebellion by the teams also reflects their collective loss of patience with Mosley" (LONDON TIMES, 6/19). The FIA Thursday in a statement said it "cannot permit a financial arms race in the championship nor can the FIA allow FOTA to dictate the rules of Formula One." The statement noted the deadline for "unconditional entries to the 2010 FIA Formula [One] World Championship will expire this evening," and the '10 FIA F1 World Championship entry list will be announced Friday. In London, Tom Cary reports the FIA "claims it has a number of aspiring independent teams waiting in the wings to fill any vacant slots on the grid." But he writes the situation is "bleak and depressing" (London TELEGRAPH, 6/19).
DIVISION IN THE RANKS: The AP's Rob Harris notes FOTA in a statement "criticized the FIA's 'uncompromising' stance and attempts ... to divide its member teams." Existing F1 teams Williams and Force India "have broken ranks with FOTA and have lodged unconditional entries for the 2010 F1 season, when they will be joined on the grid by three new outfits -- Campos Racing, Team US F1 and Manor F1 Team." But F1 "looks set to lose some of its biggest names," including reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton and current points leader Jenson Button, as well as Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikonnen. Meanwhile, the split also will have "serious ramifications for broadcasters who have rights to what will be a diminished F1 without its big-name teams and drivers, plus the venues which host F1 or may seek to host the breakaway events" (AP, 6/19). BRAND REPUBLIC notes if the teams do split from F1 it would "throw marketing and media plans into chaos." The BBC is in the first year of a five-year, US$410.9M broadcast deal with F1, but a circuit "without the likes of Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes and ... Brawn GP would not be worth anywhere near that figure" (BRANDREPUBLIC.com, 6/19).
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Mosley's Management Style Has
Become Real Problem For Teams |
COULD THIS REALLY HAPPEN? The LONDON TIMES' Gorman writes, "We've reached a watershed moment in the row between the teams and the governing body. ... On the face of it, the row is about budget-capping and how much teams can spend. The underlying issue is the government of the sport under Max Mosley, which has become a real problem for the teams. They resent his dictatorial style and frequent changing of the rules." Gorman: "This is a very big gesture by the teams but also an attempt to force Mosley and Ecclestone to not just listen but to accede to their demands. It wouldn’t surprise me if several weeks down the line a compromise was reached." Brawn GP Team Principal Ross Brawn Thursday said that he "still hopes a compromise is achievable." Gorman: "If someone like him is still saying that, then we have to think that a compromise agreement is a strong possibility." There also are "huge, complex, legal issues that would have to be addressed" to form a new league (TIMES.co.uk, 6/19). ESPN.com's Ed Hinton wrote, "This is the big one, all right, if Ecclestone and Mosley don't back down. And they never have before" (ESPN.com, 6/18).
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