Formula One: Mosley wins battle, war goes on
Formula1.com confirmed on Monday what we all expected - the five
manufacturer teams in F1 have all submitted their entries for the FIA's 2008 Formula One World Championship. Only last
week, FIA president Max Mosley (pictured at right) announced that the immediate submission of a formal entry would
be mandatory for any team wishing to take part in the negotiations surrounding the 2008 Sporting Regulations. Given that F1 commercial negotiations between manufacturers and Bernie Ecclestone have actually been moving along, it's now a foregone conclusion that the "breakaway series" proposed by the teams is dead in the water.
[Continued after the jump...]
Negotiation of the 2008 Sporting Regulations will be interesting, to say the least. Mad Max is bent on restricting
Formula 1 technology in the interests of "saving costs" and "improving the show," and his
the FIA's draft
2008 regulations include a raft of constraints on technology.
The FIA fired a new shot across the bows of the manufacturer teams Monday, issuing a press release saying that it agreed on a joint proposal with Cosworth, Ferrari and Renault. Reached on Friday, the agreement specifies a 5-year freeze on engine development. Reading between the lines, the pact gives the FIA the power to equalize performance between competing engine-makers.
As GrandPrix.com points out, the FIA seems to be gradually molding Formula 1 into a "spec racing" series, arguably ignoring the interests of the vast majority of Formula 1's fans. Fully 80-percent of the participants in a 2005 FIA survey said that F1's advanced technology was what set it apart from other forms of motorsport, and tightening regulations will likely serve to curb innovation.
In related news, the FIA journal "automotive" reports that Mosley will be trying his hand at journalism, writing a monthly column in F1 Racing magazine. His missives will appear under the banner "Grip and Spin," starting with the March issue. Count on spinmeister Mosley to make the most of his new soapbox.
[Sources: Formula1.com, FIA, GrandPrix.com]
The FIA fired a new shot across the bows of the manufacturer teams Monday, issuing a press release saying that it agreed on a joint proposal with Cosworth, Ferrari and Renault. Reached on Friday, the agreement specifies a 5-year freeze on engine development. Reading between the lines, the pact gives the FIA the power to equalize performance between competing engine-makers.
As GrandPrix.com points out, the FIA seems to be gradually molding Formula 1 into a "spec racing" series, arguably ignoring the interests of the vast majority of Formula 1's fans. Fully 80-percent of the participants in a 2005 FIA survey said that F1's advanced technology was what set it apart from other forms of motorsport, and tightening regulations will likely serve to curb innovation.
In related news, the FIA journal "automotive" reports that Mosley will be trying his hand at journalism, writing a monthly column in F1 Racing magazine. His missives will appear under the banner "Grip and Spin," starting with the March issue. Count on spinmeister Mosley to make the most of his new soapbox.
[Sources: Formula1.com, FIA, GrandPrix.com]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
David Martin 10:01AM (3/28/2006)
Ho hum. If they turn F1 into another CART or IRL, then I will turn the channel.
Reply
Car-la 11:11AM (3/28/2006)
I'm not impressed. While I acknowledge that cost-savings are necessary for F1 to survive, I believe that freezing engine-development for 5 years is the wrong way to go. Developing new technology is the basis of F1, and the potential of each team to come up with a new ground-breaking development for the next race, or at least the next season is the main reason why I watch F1. Using the same engine for 5 years means a lot of the unpredictability of F1 is gone. I really hope the agree on some other kind of cost-saving program. This isn't it.
Reply
Rocket Punch 12:26PM (3/28/2006)
F1 Politics! Its soap opera for MEN!
Reply
chewy 8:27PM (3/28/2006)
A breakaway series will never work, the manufacturers are willing to pay the giant amount of money in order so they can say we race in F1. A breakaway series would not have the same effect.
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WolfgangNC 10:35PM (3/28/2006)
So much for F1 being the penicle of racing. I'm waiting for those crazy split rear wings in 2007-2008. I guess now F1 is taking hints from CART/IRL with the whole engine freeze deal. Before long Mosley and Ecclestone will want to slap fenders on the cars and call it NASCAR Europe (NFL -> NFL Europe).
Reply