Oliver WhiteFollowing Toyota Motorsport president John Howett’s comments from the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend about not wanting to participate in a two-tier Formula One, Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz has also added his concerns to the growing number of outfits. The tension between the teams and the governing body, the FIA, is becoming increasingly desperate as time ticks on towards the May 29th deadline for 2010 entry.
If the proposed rules for 2010 remain unchanged, we will not enter next year’s championship.
The conditions for 2010 at the moment make it impossible to sign in. But I hope there will be a meeting and a settlement before the entry deadline. Dietrich Mateschitz.
As discussed in the previous post regarding Toyota, the teams are not happy with the current budget cap proposals, intending to limit teams who volunteer to the scheme to £40m per season. Although the cap does not include drivers and principals salaries and engine costs, it is still very limiting despite the technical development freedom. By remaining outside of the scheme, teams may be punished on the track by having to adhere to the very strict confines of the current regulations which sees among other things, rev-limited engines that cannot be developed.
It is clear that you would need to compete at the £40 million budget cap because the car would be quicker. And if you see that the engine revs are unlimited, then engines excluded from the cap, the KERS is excluded, you are probably talking about a budget of £150 million or more. It is a very confused situation that we need to clarify more. John Howett – FOTA Vice Chairman & Toyota Motorsport President.
Also concerning the manufacturers and Mateschitz’s two teams, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso, are the way the FIA have introduced this rule and intend to introduce others in the future. Currently, if the teams agree unanimously, a rule change can be dropped, adjusted or implemented. However, Autosport are suggesting that the FIA would like to make it harder for the participating teams to do this, thus taking away an element of control from them.
FOTA, the teams (supposedly) united body have stated in the past that they would like greater involvement in the creation of the technical regulations, and on the face of it, FOTA could be construed as an organisation that could compete with the FIA for even further control of the sport. Although currently the organisations have been working together to solve many issues surrounding the sport at the moment.
While at times relations between the two bodies have appeared constructive and cooperative, this latest controversy has the potential to escalate very easily. However, FOTA Chairman Luca di Montezemolo is expected to meet with Max Mosley prior to the Monaco Grand Prix in a fortnight to discuss the concerns of the teams.
This is starting to look like a co-ordinated FOTA campaign with one team a day announcing their dislike for two tier F1.
I hope FOTA get together and don’t enter at all by the deadline. It would be interesting to watch Max squirm if he had no entry from the existing teams by September or October.
According to many, Williams, Force India and Brawn are intending to enter, but mainly because their businesses revolve around Formula One and not necessarily because they agree with the proposals. I think Patrick Head said in Spain that he wasn’t entirely happy about the idea. But if they didn’t race in F1, Williams Grand Prix Engineering would be compromised to an extent, as would Mallya’s and Brawn’s companies.
But yes, it would be nice to watch Max squirm a little, and this time not for his own pleasure.
I think Max might have met his match in Luca Di Monty. I certainly hope so anyway, because the only way things will change is if Ferrari are – if not the driving force, at least on the bandwagon.
the budget gap for the 2010 season is quite less i feel and the fia need to change it.
I cannot think of any single sport where the teams of the sport are always at odds with the rules makers.
It’s just too much chaos.
[…] £40m budget cap in order to reduce costs and bring the level of entry down in the sport. However, like Toyota and Red Bull, Ferrari are not happy with the two-tier formula this would create have have finally stated that if […]
[…] the Cologne-based squad would not lodge an entry into next year’s championship. Yesterday, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso followed suit and stated that unless the rules change, they’re out as well. And now Ferrari have gone on […]