F1 Standoff Update: Mosley drops two-tier system, Ferrari takes FIA to court
Mosley leaves the meeting in London with F1 team principals on Friday
With the May 29 deadline for registering for the 2010 Formula 1 season fast approaching and the bulk of the current teams threatening to walk out of the series, FIA chief Max Mosley and F1 commercial director Bernie Ecclestone met in London on Friday with the heads of each Formula One team to iron out a deal that would allow the sport to accelerate past the standoff and into the next season. How that meeting went, however, depends on who you ask.
First of all, both Mosley and Ecclestone confirmed that the proposed two-tier system that would have forced teams to choose between either severe aerodynamic penalties or restrictive budget caps has been scrapped. That was the major sticking point that the Formula One Teams Association and its members (i.e., all the teams currently on the grid) objected to. However, the meeting's conclusion was still described as a stalemate, given that the teams are still threatening to leave and that a substitute for the two-tier system approved by the FIA's World Motorsport Council has not been agreed upon. Mosley proposes a drastic £40 million ($60 million) budget cap to be imposed on all the teams, large or small, veteran or newcomer. While the teams in general agree that a budget cap is logical, they have yet to agree on the amount, while some of the teams are suggesting that other solutions be sought instead.
The parties are set to meet again this coming Friday in Monte Carlo, ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, to resume discussions. But Ferrari, for one, is hedging its bets. With Mosley insisting that the sport could do without its longest-standing team, the Scuderia has filed a court injunction against the FIA's regulations. Ferrari is believed to have been given veto power over any substantive regulation changes, a clause that the team says has not been respected. Mosley, in turn, insists that one team cannot dictate the rules of the entire sport. Other Italian sporting bodies have stepped up to back Ferrari, as organizers of Rome's proposed grand prix threaten to cancel the project in the absence of their home team, while the Italian Olympic Committee throws its weight behind Ferrari as well. Maranello's injunction will be heard in court on Tuesday, when we'll find out if the Scuderia has legal backing to its objections. Thanks to Mark for the tip!
[Sources: F1-Live and AutoWeek | Image: Shaun Curry/AFP/Getty]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
WilliamTell 9:29AM (5/17/2009)
some confusion in the title. Mosley said the idea of a two tier system was unacceptable. He/Bernie never actually promoted or authorised it. It was the teams who said the budget cap would would create this system not Mosley.
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Carlo_Carrera 9:47AM (5/17/2009)
This is all a tempest in a teapot.
Max and Bernie set the budget cap low to peak the interest of new teams to make entries for 2010 and to let the current teams know that there are new teams ready to come on board.
They knew full well the current large factory teams would object because their big money wouldn't give them an advantage.
On Friday we will see that all the parties involved will agree to a new higher budget cap and some of the new entries will fade away but a couple will have enough money to make entries for the 2010 grid.
If it works out right and the looser regulations go into effect along with my predicted higher budget cap for 2010 it will be a very interesting season next year.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:19PM (5/17/2009)
Mosley was in favor of allowing lower budget teams more technical freedom. This was what the manufacturers called a "two-tier system" and rejected. So Mosley backed away from the technical freedom for lower budget teams and all is, for the moment, well.
Personally, I see Mosley's points very well. F1 is doomed. If the top teams have all the control over the sport they will just control the regulations such that they have all the advantages. This will very much disincent other teams from joining since they know they cannot play on that playing field.
In the short term, F1 will appear fine, but I can't see how they can sustain this situation. It might be better if F1 and the manufacturers parted ways sooner rather than later. F1 may not be valuable without the manufacturers, but it's more valuable today without the manufacturers than it would be later after becoming marginalized and then losing the manufacturers.
Tony 10:10AM (5/17/2009)
Blah, Blah, Blah. I use to watch F1 avidly but it no longer interests me anymore, as does NASCAR. WRC on the other hand is the bomb. What those guys and GIRLS do with their machines in the most dangerous terrain is incredible and insane. I wish Speedvision would come back as it aired the complete WRC season, also Dakar and the Targa Newfoundland. I really miss that channel and hate the nauseating NASCAR drivel that has taken over. Those guys are not racing drivers, and have had to admit this when competing in the X games against WRC guys. Who could forget the late great Colin McRae rolling his car over a jump and still driving it on to almost take first place. You Tube it. WRC is true racing done by real racing drivers.
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Vetmstr 10:28AM (5/17/2009)
And here I thought I was the only one who missed Speedvision. Def agree about the WRC and the disdain for nascar. But still a diehard F1 fan despite all the non-racing DRAMA
pmiddle5 12:09PM (5/17/2009)
What does this have to do with anything at all? We're talking F1.
ermax18 6:30PM (5/17/2009)
I have to agree. SpeedTV sucks! Bring back SpeedVision. One of the coolest articles I read in Car and Driver was about the death of SpeedVision. It had charts and graphs showing how NASCAR took over. Funny that the channel has no fans yet they continue with the crap programing. I wish I could drop the channel (with or without discount) from my lineup but it is bundled with other things I like.
Nick 7:13PM (5/17/2009)
Last week the head of Foxsports was asked about WRC, he said they tried to air it but no one in the US watched it on SC, so you are in the minority, so unless it becomes more popular you are sol..
ermax18 7:54PM (5/17/2009)
Oh come on Nick. You sound like one of the guys from the SpeedTV forum that tries to tell everyone they don't know what they want and then bans them for expressing their opinion. Until I see real numbers that show no one wants WRC or any racing other then NASCAR I am calling BS.
I have NEVER seen someone say, "Hey I love SpeedTV, they play NASCAR and Pinks 24/7".
Doug 10:50AM (5/18/2009)
@ Nick
At the same time the head of Foxsports admitted that no one watches Wrecked or Bullrun, but that the sponsors for some reason pay money to advertise during those shows anyway and that they would stay on the air...
Chris 10:39AM (5/17/2009)
Is it just me, or is Max Mosely a complete fracking moron? Why do they have to keep screwing with the sport? Why not find a good set of rules and refine them incrementally rather than try to make groundswell changes every frickin' season?
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cdwrx 2:01PM (5/17/2009)
It's a negotiating tactic in order to get some movement in the rules. No one expects these rules to carry forward intact. Nor does anyone expect Ferrari to leave. Somewhere in the middle you have the future regs.
salmanorguk 12:24PM (5/17/2009)
these rules may be wrong but ferrari cant be allowed to be seen as to own the sport, as if this is their plaything. we have had to put up with loads of ferrari crap in modern time and id be happy to see them leave the sport. the fia should ban them from all motorsport competition, see how it ruins their image and watch them come grovelling back
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jrhmobile 12:36PM (5/17/2009)
True. But I hope this does go to court, if only to open Ferrari's contract and see what kind of side deals were included with the team's "agreement" with Ecclestone.
Hecti036 2:17PM (5/17/2009)
wtf are you saying
Amien 1:25PM (5/17/2009)
Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone. I hate these guys, please GTFO before you ruin things beyond repair :(
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Hecti036 2:19PM (5/17/2009)
couldnt agree more
cdwrx 2:03PM (5/17/2009)
There's no need for this kind of response.
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Throwback 2:36PM (5/17/2009)
If only the races had this much drama. It would be nice to see a pass for the lead after the first lap, crazy I know.
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Al Terego 2:45PM (5/17/2009)
I bet Max isn't wearing pants in that photo which explains why all the reporters are a distance away and reaching in with their mics.
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