That didn't take long: FIA sues the FOTA over breakaway series
Barely a half a day has passed since the FOTA announced it start a breakaway championship, and as predicted, the FIA has announced it's suing the rebel teams. The FIA's sternest words were aimed at Ferrari, saying "The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including willful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law."
Max Mosley has been saying for months that F1 can do without the Ferrari and its rebel cohorts, and that the teams would be left off the 2010 championship entry list if they didn't come into line. Apparently, even though the sport can survive without them, and even though there are plenty of other teams applying to get into F1, the FIA would rather not explore that option. Hence the 2010 entry list has been "put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights."
Call us crazy, but it looks like the FIA knows who puts the gold in the coffers. In one of the many statements made before the racing and litigating begins this weekend, BMW's normally reserved Mario Thiessen said that the FIA's position was unacceptable, and McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh said that a breakaway series would "be recognized as the major championship." Hat tip to James.
[Source: Crash.net]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Tony 2:33PM (6/19/2009)
It just keeps on getting better and better...
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KC 6:49AM (6/20/2009)
Just like a typical divorce. You sue your spouse(s) so that you can take the house, the kids(drivers), the cars, and his/her life saving.
Nobody 2:38PM (6/19/2009)
Of course the FIA is suing. This isn't about the sport it's about Max Mosely, Bernie Ecclestone and their need for power. This whole debacle hasn't been about the sport, it's been about their ego's and the balance of power. I'm done with F1 but I can't wait to see this new series.
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Temple 3:46PM (6/19/2009)
What is hypocritical of Max is that he said to the FOTA not ten days ago that if they don't like the rules they should build their own series.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20090604/F1/906049988
FTA:
Mosley has made it clear that it is unlikely a Concorde Agreement can be put together in such a short time frame - and he has suggested the rebel teams go off and set up their own championship if they are unhappy. "A Concorde Agreement which one receives so late can't be signed by June 12," Mosley was quoted as saying. "We now have a conflict and we will see who succeeds in the end. I say to them: If you want to draw up your own rules, then you can organise your own championship. But we have the Formula 1 championship. We draw up the rules for that. We have been doing that for 60 years and we will continue doing so."
Quote Mosley "I say to them: If you want to draw up your own rules, then you can organise your own championship."
John Johnson 3:49PM (6/19/2009)
Quote Mosley "I say to them: If you want to draw up your own rules, then you can organise your own championship."
/case :)
gmporschenut 2:39PM (6/19/2009)
the legal battles and games of what they're going to do is almost more interesting this season than the Button, Barrichello parades.
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HotRodzNKustoms 2:39PM (6/19/2009)
I'm not an expert on the agreements between the teams and the FIA, nor am I any legal expert. But unless there is a non-compete clause or something similar in the agreement between them. I don't think the FIA has any legal ground to stand on. You cannot force these teams to stay with you. That would be like Microsoft suing it's customers for switching to Macs. (Okay maybe that is a bad example) But basically it sounds like the FIA is trying to hold the teams hostage and force them to stay.
Remember I'm not an expert on any of this.
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RandomNess 2:47PM (6/19/2009)
It seems more like the "rebel" teams are just trying to walk away from the contracts/agreements they already had with F1 and F1 is trying to stop them from doing that...or you know F1 just thought the teams were going to do nothing more than complain with no action and are now freaking out over the news.
Ligor 3:46PM (6/19/2009)
I agree
the FIA is trying to change all the rules of their contract.
the FIA is the one breaching the rules, so how is it they they are the ones suing?
screw the FIA and the two idiots/retards running it
John Johnson 2:40PM (6/19/2009)
Hopefully, with the judge being European, he'll know at least the tiniest bit about F1 and throw the case out. Their only hope is to sue in America :p
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Beastage 2:43PM (6/19/2009)
FIA have zero leverage , they assume they have teams to continue F1 , but who? Williams, Force India and USF1? the FIA just rejected Lola, Aston Martin and Prodrive, they will no doubt move with the big boys to a new series and I seriously doubt the 3 other teams will stay in F1.
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David Wiles 3:12PM (6/19/2009)
And after the FIA rejected Lola, Lola said it was withdrawing its entry; meaning it won't fill a place vacated by any of the FOTA teams. Given that Lola made that move the day before FOTA's vote to break away; something tells me that they saw it coming and want in on the new series. If Aston comes aboard as well the new series would have ten teams and the old F1 becomes a minor series (Williams, wowee!), whatever the FIA wants to think.
Some commentators have said the split would damage open wheel the way the CART/IRL split did in the states. I disagree. The damage to open wheel in the US happened because CART had the well known teams and drivers and IRL had Indianapolis. Open wheel fans here care more about who wins Indy than who wins the series championship, much like the LeMans series in Europe where the big question is who wins LeMans.
The only race that enjoys that kind of status in F1 is Monaco. But from what I've heard, Monaco does not have the kind of multi-year contract with F1 that many venues have. Presumably they could still hold a Grand Prix if they wanted. And if F1 sues, they'll be suing a country not a circuit owner. I think the country wins that one.
A new series can easily race in places where the current one doesn't or won't after this year; the US, Canada, Mexico, France, in Britain at Silverstone. It can race at alternative tracks or, more likely on alternative dates at the same tracks in Spain, Germany, Japan, Italy, etc. It can establish television and radio contracts with outlets that don't currently carry F1.
Imagine what happens to the viewership for the FIA's series when it's racing in someplace like Bahrain on the same weekend the new series is in Europe.
why not the LS2LS7? 6:08PM (6/19/2009)
David Wiles, once I heard that a promoter in Monaco controls the race, not the Prince himself, I became less confident that Bernie cannot successfully sue. It'll still be an uphill battle, but not the same.
Nikos 6:35PM (6/19/2009)
If Bernie comes with Williams, Force India & USF1 in Monaco I'm sure the promoter can sue Bernie ;)
elfjuice 10:12PM (6/27/2009)
According to the Speed Channel, the promoters in Monaco said that there would be no race in the Principality without Ferrari... That would certainly put a fly in Ole Max's ointment.
Vanus 2:48PM (6/19/2009)
I'm just hoping the new series is going to be called Formula Ultimate.
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erusnak 3:11PM (6/19/2009)
@Vanus - I prefer Formula Awesome.
Vanus 4:07PM (6/19/2009)
I just think the abbreviation of Formula Ultimate is very befitting of this situation.
WolfgangNC 2:57PM (6/19/2009)
We already have seen what IRL/Champ Car did to American Open-wheel. Now it is the European's turn. As NASCAR has taken over the North American continent...hopefully something with fenders will takeover the rest of the world, such as V8 Supercar series.
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Redline 3:05PM (6/19/2009)
"hopefully something with fenders will takeover the rest of the world.."
What???