.:: The FOTA/FIA 2010 War - Todt new FIA President ::.

As much as i admire your optimism redders i won't be fully convinced this is over until i see the full terms of the agreement and see what FOTA has to say. As much as i am relieved to see that the end is in sight i was starting to get excited as to what fresh start a new series would offer, still hopefully this agreement means the teams will have a greater say in what happens as this would A) prevent this from happening again B) give the fans a better representation in how the sport is governed hopefully meaning that we end up a a far better selection of tracks, especially in America were the manufactures whill be keen to get a foothold.

Yes, I'd also like to hear the word 'deal' from the mouths of FOTA.. we've only heard from Max so far. James Allen has written about the development:

Formula 1 looked into the abyss, didn't like what it saw and has has stepped away from the brink today as a deal has been struck for the FOTA teams to commit to race in F1, ending the threat of a breakaway.

The commitment from the manufacturers and teams appears to be only until 2012, not it would appear the 2014 commitment that Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley were looking for from the manufacturers.

Details are still to emerge of the deal and what is entailed, but early indications are that Mosley has agreed not to stand again for office in October. He is afforded a dignified exit in October, having secured what he was looking for, which is lower costs, new teams in the sport and a commitment of sorts from the manufacturers to stay in.

However, he has always maintained that upon his retirement he will be moving on to the FIA Senate and the issue of his successor will be of great interest now, with ex Ferrari boss Jean Todt always considered a candidate. Stability of rules and the re-introduction of the F1 commision in the rule making process will have been a central part of what Montezemolo negotiated.

Thus whoever becomes the new FIA president in October they will play an intrinsic part in the next stage of Formula 1. The teams will be looking for a completely different ****of governance and it will be interesting to see what the FIA comes up with.

Mosley pushed the teams to the edge in recent weeks, as the two sides failed to find any compromise over how to control costs in a way which would satisfy both sides. However, by bringing things to a head with the announcement of the breakaway, FOTA has forced a deal to be struck. Sponsors, circuits and TV companies were screaming and it would have caused immense damage for the uncertainty to have lasted long.

FOTA had a powerful hand to play and by making moves to set up their own series, they showed they were serious. There is no doubt that Ecclestone's partners in the commercial rights ownership, CVC, will have applied intense pressure to find a solution.

"We have agreed to a reduction of costs, " said Mosley. "There will be one F1 championship but the objective is to get back to the spending levels of the early 1990s within two years."

This sounds like something around the £40 million mark and the significance of the two years is that it gives the teams the 'glide path' they were looking for. There will be mass redundancies in F1, but not all at once, as teams downsize and recalibrate for the future.

Details will emerge throughout the day and the official 2010 entry list is expected to be announced later.

Source: JamesAllenonF1.com

FIA CONFIRM 2010 ENTRY LIST

The FIA has confirmed the 13 teams that will race in Formula 1 next season, after a peace deal was agreed between the governing body and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) on Wednesday.

After breakthrough talks prior to the World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris, the FIA agreed to accept FOTA's demands in a move that ends threats of a breakaway series.

The move means that all 10 current teams are now entered for next year's championship as well as Campos Meta, Manor Grand Prix and Team US F1.

SOURCE: Autosport

FOTA TEAMS CALL OFF BREAKAWAY SERIES

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) will officially call off its plans for a rival championship tomorrow after reaching a breakthrough deal with the FIA.

Following last-ditch talks between FIA president Max Mosley, FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, an agreement was reached that commits the teams to the sport until 2012.

FOTA members had been set to press ahead with breakaway plans in the meeting in Bologna tomorrow, but following its victory in getting the FIA and Ecclestone to agree to terms that keeps its eight members in F1, it will now rubber stamp final cost-cutting regulations for 2010 and call off its breakaway instead.

The deal between the FIA and FOTA was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon, when the FIA announced that its planned budget cap for 2010 had been scrapped, and instead FOTA-proposed cost-cutting regulations will be introduced.

In a bid to help new teams, technical assistance will be offered to Campos Meta, Manor Grand Prix and Team US F1 by major outfits.

The FIA statement said: "As part of this agreement, the teams will, within two years, reduce the costs of competing in the championship to the level of the early 1990s.

"The manufacturer teams have agreed to assist the new entries for 2010 by providing technical assistance."

As part of the deal with FOTA, the teams' association has agreed to recognise the FIA's position as the sport's governing body, adding that a new Concorde Agreement has been agreed in principle to keep all of the teams in F1 to 2012 and, upon re-negotiation, it is hoped beyond.

"The manufacturer teams have further agreed to the permanent and continuing role of the FIA as the sport's governing body," added the statement. "They have also committed to the commercial arrangements for the FIA Formula 1 World Championship until 2012 and have agreed to renegotiate and extend this contract before the end of that period.

"All teams will adhere to an upgraded version of the governance provisions of the 1998 Concorde Agreement."

Furthermore, with it clear that FOTA is not trying to usurp the FIA's authority, FIA president Max Mosley has agreed to not stand for re-election in October.

SOURCE: Autosport

DI MONTEZEMOLO HAILS MOSLEY CONTRIBUTION

Formula 1 Teams' Association chairman Luca di Montezemolo has taken a conciliatory line after an agreement with the FIA averted the threat of a breakaway series, paying tribute to Max Mosley's contribution.

"He has done a very good fix of the problem," said di Montezemolo. "When you have reached an agreement, everyone has to help in the same way."

The 61-year-old Ferrari president also called for the sport to put politics behind it and to focus on the reconciliation between the FIA and FOTA as a chance to improve F1.

"Polemics is not good for F1 and particularly for the public because F1 is a fantastic sport that has to be relaunched, not only protected," he said.

Mosley said that he did not consider the agreement to be a defeat for him, underlining that he has managed to fulfill his objectives of drawing in new teams and cutting costs.

"They've got the rules they want and the stability; we've got the new teams in and the cost reduction," said Mosley. "So that's very helpful."

Mosley added that he fully expected not to continue as FIA president beyond the end of his current term. He confirmed today that he would not be seeking re-election in October as part of the deal to prevent the breakaway series.

"As far as I'm concerned, the teams were always going to get rid of me in October," said Mosley. "Well they still are. Whether the person who succeeds me will be more to their liking remains to be seen."

SOURCE: Autosport

HOWETT PLEASED WITH FIA RESOLUTION

Formula 1 Teams' Association vice chairman John Howett is delighted that the FIA has adopted his organisation's proposals for the sport, averting the threat of a breakaway series.

Howett, president of the Toyota team, has been a major player in the negotiations between FOTA and the FIA and is upbeat about F1's future.

"I am pleased that FOTA's proposals have been endorsed and approved by the WMSC today," said Howett. "This will ensure that we move forward on the basis of stable, proper governance and this will ensure an outcome which is very good news for all of F1's many stakeholders.

"This has been a challenging period but thanks to the unity of the FOTA teams and the foresight of the World Motor Sport Council members, we have achieved the right result for F1.

"We look forward to working with the FIA Senate to achieve a prosperous and exciting future for F1 and its millions of fans around the world."

FOTA will meet tomorrow in Bologna to finalise the framework for the cost reduction regulations that will be introduced in 2010.

SOURCE: Autosport

Yay, this is good news. I am very pleased by this.

So basically they are reducing the costs gradually to allow this and Max Mosely will step down and the FOTA are back in?

Is that a fair summary or are there other major changes in hand?

In a sense it will be the same under a different  person as the money they generate goes to the FIA top person doesnt it I have only recently been told this, I was not aware it was like that)?

This is great news! I am so happy that there will not be a split championship even if that means going without a US/CAN/MEX GP for a few years.

I don't know if you guys in Europe realize how bad the IndyCar split was. It was like they just went away for 10 years. And then they reunite and all the TV/Advert. deals come back. 

This is great news! I am so happy that there will not be a split championship even if that means going without a US/CAN/MEX GP for a few years.

I don't know if you guys in Europe realize how bad the IndyCar split was. It was like they just went away for 10 years. And then they reunite and all the TV/Advert. deals come back. 

mgmeek

FIA RELEASE WMSC STATEMENT

After a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris on Wednesday, Formula One racing's governing body, the FIA, issued the following statement:

All currently competing teams have committed to the FIA Formula One World Championship.

There will be no alternative series or championship and the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009.

As part of this agreement, the teams will, within two years, reduce the costs of competing in the championship to the level of the early 1990s. The manufacturer teams have agreed to assist the new entries for 2010 by providing technical assistance.

The manufacturer teams have further agreed to the permanent and continuing role of the FIA as the sport's governing body. They have also committed to the commercial arrangements for the FIA Formula One World Championship until 2012 and have agreed to renegotiate and extend this contract before the end of that period.

All teams will adhere to an upgraded version of the governance provisions of the 1998 Concorde Agreement.

The following teams have been accepted for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.

TEAM / CONSTRUCTOR
SCUDERIA FERRARI MARLBORO / FERRARI
VODAFONE McLAREN MERCEDES / McLAREN MERCEDES
BMW SAUBER F1 TEAM / BMW SAUBER
RENAULT F1 TEAM / RENAULT
PANASONIC TOYOTA RACING / TOYOTA
SCUDERIA TORO ROSSO / STR TBA
RED BULL RACING / RBR TBA
AT&T WILLIAMS / WILLIAMS TOYOTA
FORCE INDIA F1 TEAM / FORCE INDIA MERCEDES
BRAWN GP FORMULA ONE TEAM / BRAWN TBA
CAMPOS META TEAM / CAMPOS COSWORTH
MANOR GRAND PRIX / MANOR COSWORTH
TEAM US F1 / TEAM US F1 COSWORTH

In view of this new agreement and with the prospect of a stable future for Formula One, FIA President Max Mosley has confirmed his decision not to stand for re-election in October this year.

SOURCE: Official F1 Website

JAMES ALLEN ON THE DEAL THAT SAVED F1

It has been a historic day for Formula 1, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

The FIA emerges from this episode with its authority intact and a more sensible attitude from the teams to spending, FOTA emerges as a strong body which achieved a lot through staying united and Ecclestone and his partners, CVC, know that the cash flows will continue for at least another three years.

The crucial points are that the rules for next year will be the same as 2009, costs will be brought right down but there will be no budget cap, and the teams and manufacturers have committed to the sport until at least 2012.

Meanwhile Max Mosley has confirmed that he will not stand again as FIA president when his current term expires in October. However should the deal fall through for any reason and the FIA's position come under threat, he may well step in.

The rules may be as in 2009, but this is really only a starting point. The devil will be in the detail; will they go ahead with the ban on refuelling, for example?

There is still more work to be done on this and FOTA meets in Bologna tomorrow at noon, to move forward on finalising things in conjunction with the FIA.

There will be no budget cap; instead teams will act together to drastically reduce costs down to a level of around £40m in two years' time.

They will provide some 'technical assistance' to the new teams, although as all three of them are signed up to Cosworth, cut-price engines will not be part of that.

It will be interesting to see whether all three of the new teams are still using Cosworths when next season starts.

Asking the teams what this 'technical assistance' consists of, the answer is rather vague at the moment.

The teams and manufacturers have agreed to commit to 2012, but the deals with the FIA and FOM are different.

This is a key point for FOTA. The FIA deal is open-ended, recognising the FIA's right to be the regulator of the sport, but now with the F1 Commission in place to decide on future rules, which was not the case recently.

With regard to FOM, the teams are signed up until 2012, presumably on the same commercial terms, but they have separated their dealings with FOM from their dealings with the FIA.

Max Mosley has relinquished his position as the main contact man at the FIA for F1. Instead the FIA Senate will deal with any issues in F1.

Mosley is a member of the Senate and, under FIA rules, he will remain a member in future as an ex-president.

There is a sense here that if this deal were to fall through then Mosley would be on hand to take up the FIA's side again.

Meanwhile there will be an election for a new FIA president in due course.

The deal was hammered out in a two-hour meeting between Montezemolo of FOTA/Ferrari, Ecclestone and Mosley.

The meeting took place in the FIA building and the three then went across to the World Council meeting room to get everything ratified.

The three men broke out of the WMSC meeting part way through to finalise a few details and then returned to report their agreement.

Both sides have achieved much of what they wanted. By pushing the teams over the brink, Mosley has got new teams into the sport, forced the manufacturers to commit and got them and the teams to wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to budgets.

FOTA, meanwhile, was prepared to stand and be counted and extracted major concessions from the FIA as a result of this new-found unity.

So what provided the breakthrough? Well, on the FIA's side it was FOTA's acknowledgement of the FIA's authority, its right to govern and regulate F1.

On FOTA's side it was Mosley's agreement not to stand again and the return of the F1 Commission for setting new rules.

FOTA has achieved a lot and will no doubt continue as the body which represents the teams and manufacturers in dealings with the FIA and FOM in future.

I imagine that Williams and Force India will be readmitted to FOTA, having sat on the sidelines throughout this most recent process.

Leaving their respective methods to one side, to me this episode shows that Mosley has always been a long-term thinker, whereas the teams are more short-term.

It has been painful and it's not completely over yet, but F1 should emerge stronger.James Allen

SOURCE: ITV-F1

Its good that the new teams are getting support for next year to get them onto pace with the costs being higher next year than they were expecting. However like Allen says I wander if they will stick wtih Cosworth engines or go with a customer engine.

'Max to step aside with immediate effect'

Max Mosley will reportedly step down from his position as head of the FIA with immediate effect.

On Wednesday, as part the deal committing the FOTA team to F1, Mosley announced he would not run for re-election when his current term of office expires in, bringing to an end his 16-year reign.

However, reports in the British media on Thursday morning claim he will in fact step down immediately.

'The 69-year-old confirmed he would not seek re-election in October for a fifth term of office. However, it is understood that he will, in fact, hand over responsibilities to Michel Boeri, president of both the FIA Senate and of the Automobile Club de Monaco, with immediate effect,' claims the Daily Mail.

Thoughts now turns to who will be his long-term successor with former Ferrari team boss Jean Todt being billed as the favourite for the role.

Source: Planet F1.com

WILLIAMS HOPES TO RETURN TO FOTA

Williams CEO Adam Parr is hopeful his team can return to the Formula One Teams' Association now the war in the sport is over.

The FIA announced on Wednesday that it had reached a deal with the teams, and that there would be only one championship next year.

Williams and Force India had been excluded from FOTA after they had submitted unconditional entries for the 2010 championship while the rest of the teams fought to change the rules introduced by the FIA.

Parr, however, hopes that now the fight is over, both teams are reinstated.

"I do hope so. I think that's something we'd all like to see," Parr told the Press Association. "It's essential we, along with Force India and the new teams, are part of the discussions going forward."

Parr admitted his team was delighted with the resolution of the row after months of uncertainty.

"At the weekend I outlined Williams' position, that we were optimistic a solution would be found and doubtful of the real merits of an alternative series," he said. "So we are absolutely delighted the outcome of today's agreement will be a Formula 1 world championship next year with all the current teams, and hopefully the three new teams as well.

"The teams, the FIA and FOM (Formula One Management) have committed to a cost-saving programme that means the sport is stronger and better set up for the future than it has been for several years.

"On the cost savings, we understand what the objective is that has been agreed. But I think there's a lot of detail to fill out in terms of how that's going to be achieved and what the actual target is."

SOURCE: Autosport

I read in todays newspaper that Manor Grand Prix team will be getting Virgin as main title sponsor next year (which goes with Virgin saying they could not afford to sponsoer Brawn as a title chasing team next year as they dont have that capital available to put into one team basically).

Thats an interesting move, I just want to see Telefonica sponsor a team again for the great green/yellow colour the European Minardi had in the early two thosands.

FOTA SAYS DEAL A VICTORY FOR F1 FANS

Formula 1 teams believe that their breakthrough deal with the FIA that heads off the threat of a breakaway series is, above all, a victory for fans.

Speaking at a press conference in Bologna on Thursday, the eight members of the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) made it clear that they believed the true victory of the deal that commits them to the sport were the supporters.

Renault boss Flavio Briatore said: "We achieved what we want - an F1 with the best drivers, with the best teams and we want to work to have a better show, entertaining better the people.

"We want to make sure the fans are with us, and make sure the fans are enjoying the fight between drivers. In the last six or seven months there was a lot of talk about politics and costs, and I don't believe this is the subject the fans like.

"The fans like a show, they like a race, and we need to talk about sport again. We are happy to achieve this situation, we are happy to work for that."

Toyota F1 president John Howett added: "This has ultimately resulted in a victory for Formula 1. There should be no victor from either side, and now I think we have the possibility of a very stable, sustainable platform that will enable us to continue F1 with the best drivers, the best cars and the best circuits in the world."

BMW motorsport director Mario Theissen was equally encouraged about what the deal meant for the future of the sport.

"I think it has been a very, very strong year for all the teams, for the co-operation," he said. "It was really exceptional to be part of this process and yesterday in my view we have reached a breakthrough situation in the way that we have now a clear view of the future of the sport.

"It is a fantastic day for the sport, for the fans and definitely for us as teams as well. We have a clear view for the format of the series for the future and I think this is a very strong foundation now to come to an agreement and a conclusion on the commercial side as well. Which we will follow in the coming months."

Red Bull team boss Christian Horner added: "I sit here with a duty of care not just to the fans but to our employees as well and I think that with what has taken place over the last 24 hours with the solutions that have been reached I think it is very, very positive for Formula 1.

""We can now focus on the fans, on creating a better show, on creating an even better sport and I think that F1 this year the championship on-track has been a strong championship. Hopefully now focus can be turned back to the circuit and the important factor of going racing. It was great day for Formula 1."

SOURCE: Autosport

TEAMS WANT INDEPENDENT FIA PRESIDENT

Formula One Teams' Association vice chairman John Howett has called for Max Mosley's successor as president of the FIA to be fully independent of the competitors.

The Toyota team president believes that whoever is elected to take over the role from Mosley in October must have no current or historic links to the F1 teams.

This is a clear hint that FOTA would not be keen on former Ferrari boss John Todt, who has been linked with the position, taking over.

"From the teams' point of view, we would like to see someone who actually is independent," said Howett. "Perhaps independent from any of us currently or historically.

"The federation covers much more than just motorsport. It is involved in worldwide touring and from the position of the manufacturers, they would wish to have somebody that was able to represent appropriately the requirements of worldwide motorsports as well as purely focusing on the sport."

Howett emphasised that the problems between the FIA and FOTA had been resolved, and that there was no longer any ambiguity as to the relationship between the two.

He added that, as an independent body, it was in the hands of the FIA to elect Mosley's successor.

"I believe yesterday the confirmation was given to the World Motorsport Council on what was agreed, and they endorsed entirely that," said Howett. "So from our side there should be no ambiguity at all.

"The federation is an independent body with its own constitution, and it will be their business who they elect as the future successor to their president."

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore wished Mosley well for the future.

"After many years with the presidency of Max Mosley, we want to say good luck for the retirement," said Briatore.

"Sometimes we are in different positions, and sometimes we have different opinions. But the common sense yesterday was winning."

FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo also thanked Mosley for his attitude, paying tribute to his contribution to improving safety standards in F1.

"After a month of confrontations we also thank the president of the FIA for his decision to leave in October and for the work that he has done," said di Montezemolo.

"Particularly for safety, because this was and still is a big priority in F1. F1 has done a huge, huge improvement in safety."

SOURCE: Autosport

BRIATORE TO HELP IMPROVE F1 SHOW

Renault boss Flavio Briatore is to work closely with Formula 1's commercial rights holders to help shape the sport's future, as part of the breakthrough deal agreed between the FIA and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA).

Briatore was already head of FOTA's commercial division and, while work for now will focus on framing a new Concorde Agreement to commit current teams to F1 until 2012, beyond that there will be moves to make F1 better for fans.

Speaking at a FOTA press conference in Bologna on Thursday, Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo revealed more details about the agreement that he put together with FIA president Max Mosley.

"We said since the beginning that we were looking for some priority points and I want to thank the FIA World Motor Sport Council for the very positive meeting yesterday and the very constructive attitude towards the interests of F1," explained di Montezemolo.

"We will keep the 2009 rules the same for everybody - this is extremely important. We will have stability in F1 at least until the end of 2012. It means no [extra] cost, because with stability you have no cost.

"We also have governance like in the previous years in which the rules come from clear procedure with the F1 Commission. And we will continue as teams, as car manufacturers, to work for important cost reductions as we have already done with success regarding engines and gearboxes.

"Flavio will also be working with the commercial rights holder to improve the show and the interest in the sport."

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh said it was important that the F1 teams listened to the wishes of fans - something he felt had not happened in recent years with the FIA.

"I think as you are aware, FOTA undertook a very interesting survey of fans trying to understand what they wanted," explained Whitmarsh. "The initial work led us to some conclusions that were put before the FIA.

"Unfortunately, none of those suggestions and ideas, which we felt were positive, were accepted. We now have to continue that work.

"We have to be structured in the way that we speak to the audience, asking them what they expect from the sport, the format of the sport, how they understand it, how it's presented, how we provide information. We have to continue the work.

"There is no singular point; I think it is listening to what the audience wants and making sure that we respond to it to improve the show, the spectacle and the information that's provided."

SOURCE: Autosport

FOTA: FORMULA ONE NEEDS "FRESH BLOOD"

The commitment by Formula 1's current teams to remain in the sport until 2012 has quelled fears about the grid getting decimated by manufacturer withdrawals, but the focus still must be on encouraging new teams.

That is the view of Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali, who has welcomed the team unity that secured a breakthrough deal with the FIA, but thinks it vital that 'fresh blood' is given the chance to shine in F1.

"For sure it is important that F1 will stay as a real F1, that was one of our priorities for the future," explained Domenicali in a press conference held by the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) in Bologna on Thursday.

"For sure we as FOTA, we will welcome the new teams that are coming to F1, but of course it is important to make sure that the value of this formula is to make sure that these companies are able to be in F1 not only for one year but also for the future. And this will give another input to this championship.

"We need to make sure the new ones, who are very welcome, are really part of this business, not because we need to have new teams in terms of numbers, but new in terms of fresh blood into the championship. This is a very important point that we need to make sure of, for the benefit of what we have achieved in these last days."

While the three new teams entered into the championship have yet to comment on their future plans in the wake of the budget cap getting scrapped for next season, FOTA vice chairman John Howett said talks would commence with them next month to sort out if they would join FOTA.

"First of all I think we need to have some dialogue with these teams to establish whether they wish to join FOTA or not," he said. "FOTA is open. We believe dialogue is constructive and positive.

"Obviously before doing that there is the issue of reaching an understanding with them on their position, based on the new regulatory framework. It's too soon to say, but our door is open and I guess in the next two to three weeks, as the total situation is stabilised, we will enter into discussion with them should they wish to meet."

Brawn CEO Nick Fry did not rule out some other teams joining Formula 1 if any of the three chosen outfits was not interested in racing without a budget cap system.

"If one of those three weren't able to get the funding to enter, there a possibility that others might be invited in," Fry told Reuters. "Obviously, we want more teams involved in Formula 1."

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo said he hopes the Concorde Agreement, that will commit teams to F1 until 2012, should be signed off between the teams, the FIA and the sport's commercial owners imminently.

"I'm confident we can find a solution with CVC in the next days - CVC is the company that owns the rights of F1. So our role is in two years, by the end of 2011, to achieve a cost basically like in the 1990s," he explained.

"It means that finally for small or big teams, it's important to think of the balance between cost and the revenues at the end of 2011. We are united in the interests of the sport and I think that yesterday was a very positive and constructive agreement."

He added: "I want to say, one of the important agreements we achieved was an important commitment from manufacturers and big teams to race and continue to be in Formula 1, at least until the end of 2012.

"So in the past, if somebody was worried, maybe after Honda left or somebody else, not now. The car manufacturers and the big teams will remain in Formula 1, and this is the reason why yesterday's agreement is important for us to work together for a better future for F1. F1 needs fresh air, needs ideas, needs improvement, working together to achieve this goal."

SOURCE: Autosport

It's never over in F1..

MOSLEY RETHINKS FUTURE OVER FOTA CLAIMS

Formula 1's future has been thrown into turmoil once again, with FIA president Max Mosley saying he is now keeping his future options open because of what he has called 'deliberate attempts' by teams to mislead the media.

Just 24 hours after Mosley reached a deal with FOTA to end the threat of a breakaway series, he has reacted angrily to what he calls 'false claims' made by the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) about the nature of their agreement.

In a letter that Mosley sent to FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo, which first appeared on website www.racefax.com but has now been seen by AUTOSPORT, Mosley makes it clear that he is angry at how FOTA has presented the terms of its deal.

And such is his seriousness with which he is treating the matter, that he has told FOTA that his original plan to step down as FIA president in October is no longer definite.

"Given your and FOTA's deliberate attempt to mislead the media, I now consider my options open," wrote Mosley in the letter. "At least until October, I am president of the FIA with the full authority of that office.

"After that it is the FIA member clubs, not you or FOTA, who will decide on the future leadership of the FIA."

Mosley is furious that FOTA representatives have claimed that FIA Senate president Michel Boeri is now in change of F1, that he himself was forced out of office and that he would have no role in the FIA once he steps down in October.

"We made a deal yesterday in Paris to end the recent difficulties in Formula 1," explained Mosley. "A fundamental part of this was that we would both present a positive and truthful account to the media.

"I was therefore astonished to learn that FOTA has been briefing the press that Mr Boeri has taken charge of Formula 1, something which you know is completely untrue; that I had been forced out of office, also false; and, apparently, that I would have no role in the FIA after October, something which is plain nonsense, if only because of the FIA statutes.

"Furthermore, you have suggested to the media that I was a 'dictator', an accusation which is grossly insulting to the 26 members of the World Motor Sport Council who have discussed and voted all the rules and procedures of Formula 1 since the 1980s, not to mention the representatives of the FIA's 122 countries who have democratically endorsed everything I and my World Motor Sport Council colleagues have done during the last 18 years."

The letter makes it clear that unless FOTA moves to address his complaints, then the deal that was agreed on Wednesday could collapse. The letter was sent prior to Thursday's FOTA press conference in Bologna, where Mosley had hoped an apology would be made - something which was not forthcoming.

Mosley said: "If you wish the agreement we made to have any chance of survival, you and FOTA must immediately rectify your actions. You must correct the false statements which have been made and make no further such statements.

"You yourself must issue a suitable correction and apology at your press conference this afternoon.

"Formula 1 is run entirely by our 25-strong team without any help from me or any other outsider. There was no need for me to involve myself further in Formula 1 once we had a settlement. Equally, I had a long-standing plan not to seek re-election in October. It was therefore possible for me to confirm both points to you yesterday."

SOURCE: Autosport

REFUELLING BAN STILL ON FOR 2010 

Formula 1's ban on refuelling looks certain to still be introduced next year, AUTOSPORT has learned, despite the sport currently reverting back to the 2009 regulations.

As part of the agreement reached between the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) and the FIA earlier this week, it was agreed that regulation changes set to be introduced for 2010 would be scrapped - with this year's rules being kept on for another season.

Although the reversion of the rules was designed to scrap the introduction of a budget cap for 2010, it also had the knock-on effect of getting rid of changes that had been agreed with teams - like the ban on refuelling.

A FOTA source has confirmed that work is currently underway on what modifications need to be made to the 2010 regulations - with refuelling certain to be one of the issues that is brought up.

The source said: "There will be a few amendments to the rules that need to be agreed unanimously. This will be about refuelling and a few other items, and should be completed in the next few weeks."

Teams have pushed for a ban on refuelling because of the huge cost involved in shipping the pit equipment around the world, and the fact that strategy factors now do little to improve the racing.

AUTOSPORT 

MOSLEY: FIA NEEDS "STRONG" PRESIDENT

Max Mosley has issued a rallying cry to members of motor racing's governing body - telling them that it is important they stand firm against the desire expressed by Formula 1 teams for a soft-line FIA president.

In the wake of Mosley's anger at the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) for 'deliberately misleading' the media about the manner of a breakthrough deal reached earlier this week, he has now written to FIA member clubs making clear his feelings.

He says he is not only upset at claims made by FOTA that he was stepping back from any involvement in F1, but also concerned by sentiments expressed by the teams' organisation on Thursday that they wanted an 'independent' president.

In the letter, a copy of which has been seen by AUTOSPORT, Mosley urges the FIA to maintain a president ready to defend the interests of the governing body against the teams - which could perhaps be viewed as a hint that he may stand again.

"The question of FIA president is a matter exclusively for you, the members clubs of the FIA, and most definitely not for the vehicle manufacturers who make up FOTA," wrote Mosley in the letter.

"To have an FIA president under the influence of vehicle manufacturers would put at jeopardy all the excellent work our organisation and your clubs do in promoting better safety and environmental outcomes in the vehicle fleet.

"If nothing else, this attempt to tell FIA members who they should or should not elect demonstrates precisely why the FIA needs a strong President who is experienced and knowledgeable about motor sport, in particular Formula One, as well as general motoring matters."

He added: "We must continue to defend the independence of the FIA, even if this leads to difficulties in the sport."

Such preferred qualities for the next FIA president could also hint that former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt be viewed by FIA members as a leading candidate for the role.

The letter also makes it clear to FIA members that suggestions Mosley suffered defeat in the agreement reached with teams last week were wide of the mark.

"Some have sought to interpret this outcome as a back-down by the FIA and a coup by teams wishing to remove me from my post," he said. "There have even been claims that I have ceased to fulfil my role as president effective immediately. These claims are completely false.

"I will continue to fulfil my role as FIA president up until and including our General Assembly in October. For me to do otherwise would be to betray the support I received last year when my role as president was confirmed by FIA Clubs at the Extraordinary General Assembly.

"In regard to the claims that the FIA was somehow bullied into submission by teams, I can only again stress that the FIA achieved the two goals it set itself - that of very significantly reduced costs and additional teams."

Mosley's suggestions about the strength of the FIA president come a day after FOTA vice-chairman and Toyota F1 president John Howett said the teams wanted an 'independent' man in charge of the governing body.

"From the teams' point of view, we would like to see someone who actually is independent," said Howett. "Perhaps independent from any of us currently or historically.

"The federation covers much more than just motorsport. It is involved in worldwide touring and from the position of the manufacturers; they would wish to have somebody that was able to represent appropriately the requirements of worldwide motorsports as well as purely focusing on the sport."

SOURCE: Autosport

MOSLEY WARNS FIA OF "DIFFICULT PERIOD"

FIA president Max Mosley has warned the governing body to brace itself for a potentially 'difficult period' in Formula 1, with him fearing actions by the teams have reignited the threat of a breakaway championship.

Just a few days after Mosley and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) reached a deal to secure the future of F1, he now claims that the sport's competitors have gone back on the agreement they reached.

Mosley thinks their suggestions that he has been forced out of office, and that the FIA must select an 'independent' president to follow him, are signs that FOTA is set on dictating the way the sport is governed.

And in the absence of a public apology that Mosley has demanded from FOTA chairman and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo about misleading the media, the FIA president has written to the World Motor Sport Council to vent his fears about the short-term problems he believes F1 is now facing.

"It is disappointing that Montezemolo did not keep his part of the bargain we made last Wednesday," wrote Mosley in a letter to the WMSC, a copy of which has been seen by AUTOSPORT.

"I had anyway decided not to offer myself for re-election next October and, given what I have had to contend with during the last 12 months, I needed a peaceful summer before starting a more leisurely existence.

"The compromise we found was therefore acceptable to me personally and seemed in the overall interests of Formula 1. But when FOTA falsely claimed that they had ousted me and imposed their will on the FIA, the situation became intolerable."

He added: "No doubt we face a difficult period. This may well result in short-term problems in Formula 1. It is possible that FOTA will set up an independent series. That is their right, provided they do so under the International Sporting Code.

"But the Formula 1 World Championship will continue to be run by the FIA as it has been for 60 years.

"The Championship has had difficult times in the past and no doubt will again in the future but that is no reason to hand control to an outside body, still less one with little or no understanding of sporting ethics and under the control of an industry we have constantly to monitor."

Mosley said his frustration at the attitude adopted by the teams was particularly high because he had faced lobbying from a manufacturer team earlier this year to try and influence the FIA's independent Court of Appeal to rule double decker diffusers outlawed.

"We have heard a lot from FOTA about an independent court of appeal," revealed Mosley. "Yet during the controversy over the "double diffuser", a manufacturer team repeatedly lobbied me (wholly improperly) to intervene with the FIA Court of Appeal and have the double diffuser declared illegal.

"The FIA Court would never listen to such an approach but it shows that for the team in question, "independent" means independent of the other teams and under the control of particular interests."

Mosley has urged the WMSC to not allow the governing body to be influenced by the demands of teams.

"Member clubs of the FIA from all over the world have made it clear that they will never allow the car industry to decide who may and who may not be president of the FIA," he said.

"This has nothing to do with me as an individual, it is about the independence of the FIA and its member clubs as defenders of the motorist and arbiters of international motor sport.

"In addition to motor sport, the FIA has to defend the interests of the motorist in areas such as road safety and the environment and even basic things like access to technical information for independent garages. This often brings us into conflict with the car industry.

"When we started EuroNCAP, one of the major manufacturers threatened to quit Formula 1 if we did not abandon our activities. The FIA has to be free to confront the car industry whenever necessary."

SOURCE: Autosport

MONTEZEMOLO WANTS END TO POLITICAL ROWS

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has called for an immediate stop to the latest political wrangling hanging over the sport, as he believes fans are tired of the bickering.

With FIA president Max Mosley warning that the sport could face fresh trouble because he believes teams have gone back on the terms of an agreement reached this week to secure the future of F1, there have been renewed fears of a breakaway championship.

Di Montezemolo is keeping a positive outlook on the situation, however, and reckons that the focus should be on making the sport better rather than carrying on arguing.

Responding to a question about the positive response fans have made about this week's deal between the FIA and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA), di Montezemolo told the official Ferrari website he shared their optimism about what was agreed.

"I am very pleased for the agreement, [and] I was not surprised because I understand the spectators, they are pissed off with all these polemics - the press releases, unclear rules, rules that change every six months," explained di Montezemolo.

"We need stability. We need peace. We need transparency. We love F1; we want a F1 as always extreme - extreme in terms of technology and competition. The best drivers, the best teams, the best cars, this is what we try to achieve.

"I am very pleased for this result and also for the very good atmosphere that I found in Paris with the World Council, the FIA. So I think together with the FIA we have done a good agreement looking ahead.

"Now, stop with all the polemics, because we love F1. We don't want to contribute to...take off the big charm and the unique elements of F1."

Mosley is seeking a public apology from FOTA about what he believes were deliberately misleading claims made to the media this week. Although such a statement has not been forthcoming, di Montezemolo's stance suggests the teams have no desire to get locked in a confrontation with the FIA president.

Instead, the head of FOTA says the focus is on making F1 better - by improving the on-track show and helping fans off it.

"First of all, I think that what we have obtained are three very important elements - stability, less costs - it means coming back to the level of the costs of the 1990s and also that F1, which is far more important, will remain F1 and does not become F3. This is crucial for us," he said.

"Of course we have to improve everything and this is why we want to be more involved in the decisions of the sport, because we want more spectators in the circuits, tickets less expensive because today the tickets are too expensive, and to have more show.

"Maybe the possibility to have some teams or all the teams to run even a third car, to have more possibility to overtake - but increasing technology research, extreme performance and overall competition."

 AUTOSPORT

Mosley 'urged' to stand for re-election

FIA president Max Mosley has revealed that he is under pressure to stand for re-election from other members of the sport's governing body, after admitting that he does not expect to receive the apology he demanded from Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) president Luca di Montezemolo on Thursday.

Mosley, speaking in an interview with the Mail on Sunday, said that while he would rather stand down in October, he was prepared to do whatever was required in the face of a potential conflict with Formula 1's car manufacturers.

"They made the mistake of dancing on my grave before I was buried," Mosley told the newspaper. "It's no good the teams getting a PR agency to claim I am dead and buried when I am standing here as large as life. I am under pressure now from all over the world to stand for re-election.

"I don't actually want to," he added. "I feel I am a little bit too old.

"When I started I was old enough to be the father of the younger Formula 1 drivers; now I am old enough to be the grandfather of some of those driving today. Although I don't feel old, I must seem very old to them. It definitely needs somebody new from that point of view.

"Generally, when you have done something for 16 years, as I have done, it's about time to stop. You get a little bit stale.

"I do genuinely want to stop. But if there is going to be a big conflict with the car industry, for example, with the FOTA teams, then I won't stop. I will do whatever I have to do. It's not in my nature to walk away from a fight."

Mosley, F1 rights holder Bernie Ecclestone and di Montezemolo announced a deal to end the row over budget caps and bring the threat of a breakaway series in 2010 to a close last Wednesday. At the time, Mosley said that he would not stand for re-election.

But press briefings by FOTA team principals the following day angered Mosley, who felt that they had suggested he had been forced from office and labelled him a 'dictator'. He was also annoyed by suggestions that FIA Senate president Michel Boeri would assume his role in overseeing the FIA's F1 affairs until October.

Mosley sent a letter to di Montezemolo demanding a public apology in Thursday's FOTA press conference, which was not forthcoming.

"I don't really expect Luca will apologise or withdraw in the way that he should," Mosley told the newspaper. "Yet, on the other hand, within the motorsport world nobody takes him seriously. He's seen as what the Italians call a 'bella figura'.

"He's chairman of Fiat but the serious individual who runs it is Sergio Marchionne, and I don't suppose he takes much notice of Luca.

"When di Montezemolo comes out with things that are picked up internationally, when people in the UK, for example, read this, they tend to believe it," he added.

"And when FOTA say all this nonsense about Boeri replacing me, that also tends to be believed. I think once we have all that put to bed and the teams come back to the deal we did, then I will be happy sticking with the deal we made. I am working on FIA matters from my office in Monaco. It is business as usual."

Mosley dismissed suggestions that he acted like a dicator as 'nonsense', adding that decisions were taken by the World Motor Sport Council. He also revealed that he had privately made clear to them that he would stand down from office.

"Complete lies have been told," said Mosley. "That was obviously very annoying and not just for me.

"It has given the impression to the member clubs of the FIA that the car industry had dictated who the president could be and what the president should do. That caused uproar. Once a year we have a general assembly where all 132 countries belonging to the FIA endorse what has been done.

"If someone is unhappy with what has been done, they would say so and we'd have a vote. I don't have the power to dictate. I only have the power to execute the decisions that the WMSC have taken."

In the interview Mosley admitted that the past two years of his life had been very difficult. But he said that while the death of his son and last year's highly publicised sex scandal had taken their toll, he would not walk away from the FIA presidency while he perceived the organisation's independence to be under threat.

"The past 16 months have been difficult," he admitted. "It is appalling if somebody takes some part of your life that you have always kept completely secret and puts it all over the front page of a newspaper. Yet, obviously, the death of my son was far worse. By comparison, my spats with di Montezemolo are trivial.

"However, I do not want to leave the president's office in a way where it was suggested that people from the car industry had pushed me out. If that impression is not completely dispelled, the clubs are going to insist that I stand again.

"So I hope very much that it will be dispelled before we get to that point. And when the time comes to hand all this to somebody else, it will not be with sadness, it will be with relief."

AUTOSPORT 

Gracia: Mosley could run for re-election

Carlos Gracia, the head of the Spanish motorsports federation, says he would not be surprised if Max Mosley put himself up for another term as FIA president, in the wake of claims made by the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) last week.

Mosley has been left angry by comments from FOTA members that he was being sidelined from F1 completely as part of a peace deal reached last week, and that the teams' body would prefer an 'independent' president in the future.

His unhappiness prompted a demand for apology from FOTA, which was not forthcoming, and has resulted in what Mosley claims is 'pressure' on him to stand once again.

Gracia said he fully understood Mosley's position, as he too expressed dissatisfaction about the comments made by FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo.

Speaking to Spanish radio station Onda Cero, Gracia said: "I don't support Max Mosley to the death, but I do support respecting institutions, and what Luca di Montezemolo has done was show a lack of respect to the FIA and the World Council.

"It wouldn't surprise me if Max Mosley runs for re-election. The worst thing you can do with an animal is leave him wounded, and what Luca di Montezemolo has achieved is to re-activate Max. You can't dance on someone's grave before he's dead."

Gracia expressed an interest in running for FIA president himself, but made it clear he would have qualms about going up against Mosley.

"I'm not ruling out running for president of the FIA," he said. "I believe Max Mosley has a lot of support and I would think twice before running against him, because I don't want to take any risks that may damage Spanish motorsport. Above all, I'm the president of the Spanish Federation and I have to defend Spanish sport."

AUTOSPORT understands FOTA is steering clear of getting involved in any fresh battle with Mosley over what was said last week, and is instead focusing on putting its 2010 rules in place over the next month.

No meeting of FOTA's senior figures is scheduled for this week, but behind-the-scenes negotiations are ongoing on terms of framing the new Concorde Agreement, that would bind the teams, the FIA and Formula 1's commercial rights holders together.

Source: Autosport

Racky's Rant 3: What have we learnt?

Much like the economy Formula One has gone through its darkest hour and thankfully someone has opened the blinds and let in the light that leads the way to a better future.

Since the departure of Honda at the end of last year much has changed and if I'm honest part of me is struggling to keep up, for some reason i keep expecting to wake up and be watching a 2009 season that takes off where 2008 left off with the right sized wings and the usual contenders at the front, but that's probably just me.

Anyway as I was saying F1 has changed and although it may not have been entirely necessary for the sport to nearly self destruct many fans are holding on to the belief that out of this will come a far stronger sport that is better for everyone involved. Whether that is the case remains to be seen but we can at least speculate on some of the short term results from this dispute.

The first result is that the teams care about F1 and its fans a lot, especially the manufactures. Even though some fans would prefer not to have the championship decided by who spends the most at least the teams were willing to acknowledge what the fans want. Some cynics may say that this was just the big teams attempt to win the sympathy vote but I believe that it was much more than that. After endless speculation as to which manufacture may leave F1 I feel that they cast those doubts aside when they announced the break away. Both Renault and Toyota have been linked with a move away from F1 in recent years yet alongside Ferrari it was these teams who were pushing ahead with the new series, with Flavio dealing with the commercial side and Howett being one of the more vocal opposition to the FIA.

Secondly Mosley's time has passed. Credit where credit is due Max reacted to the issue of safety in the 90's in a way no many other men would have and as a result F1 has not suffered a driver fatality since. Unfortunately when this crisis came along times had changed and Max hadn't kept up. Firstly as I mentioned before Max's reputation was still recovering at the time and he is not the feared man he once was. Secondly the teams are not just here to race anymore, they are united and they are more powerful than ever before and Max underestimated this. If he had been more careful he could have a budget cap in place months ago if he had acknowledged the teams were happy at £150 million rather than going behind there back and trying to set it at £40 million. Now Max is acting like a child with ADHD desperate for someone to listen to his threats about standing for another term. If he had kept up with the changes in F1 he could have left withy his head held high as the man who secured the future of F1 with a budget cap in place, instead many will remember him as the man who nearly killed F1.

The third conclusion is that Bernie is a shadow of his former self. Many predicted that Bernie would be the man to broker peace between FOTA and the FIA but instead he was very much left to play spectator and he didn't even appear to be any good at that as he seemed utterly bewildered when the media asked him about the possible breakaway series. I was also surprised to hear Flavio would be helping Bernie improve the show in years to come, now would the Bernie of the past allowed an assistant, even if it is a close friend, to be forced upon him.

Lastly, but I think most importantly, people still want to get involved with F1. The number of applicants to the FIA was astounding and although some of them were more plausible than others there were still some very plausible entries, such as Prodrive, that would be a credit to the sport and hopefully this is an indication that there is still an interest in Formula 1 and that in many peoples eyes it is still the pinnacle of motorsport.

Hopefully the optimists are right and F1 will improve for the better with grids that improve in both quality as well as quantity, a better spectacle that takes in to account the views of the fans and a break from the politics that allows us to enjoy the action on the track with the security the sport will still be the best in the world for years to come.

DALLARA SAYS F1 CHALLENGE "FASCINATING"

Gian Paolo Dallara says building a Formula 1 car for the Campos Meta team will be a 'fascinating' challenge for the Italian company.

Dallara will design the car the Spanish squad will use next year, when it makes its Formula 1 debut after gaining an entry last month.

Dallara admits the project is 'scary', but the Italian is looking forward to the challenge.

"I've accepted this opportunity with enthusiasm," Dallara told Gazzetta dello Sport. "It's scary, but it's exciting for me and for my entire company, because this is a fascinating challenge that tests energy and creativity.

"We've been working for three months already."

Dallara said he is hoping the car, which will be powered by a Cosworth engine, will be ready to be tested early next year.

"[The goal is] having the car running around January 10. Let's hope it's quick. I mean for Campos, but also for us," he added.

The Italian said 40 people are working on the F1 project, but the team is expected to grow up to 80 in the future.

"We have strong people with fresh experiences like Gabriele Tredozi, who for years was the technical head at Minardi, and like Ben Agathangelou, aerodynamicist for Red Bull and Ross Brawn's Honda. And then there are our people, all of them good," Dallara added.

The Parma-based company had already competed in Formula 1 from 1988 to 1992, building the cars for Scuderia Italia, and then collaborating with Honda in 1998 and Midland in 2006.

Team boss Adrian Campos said the Spanish outfit had been entered in F1 as a constructor thanks to the creation of a new company.

"The model will be in the wind tunnel for the first time next week," Campos told AUTOSPORT. "We have set up a company called Dallara-Campos to build the cars in a new factory. We are recruiting 200 people."

Campos added that he was hoping for peace following months of uncertainty in Formula 1.

"I am interested in being in a situation where everyone agrees, whether that is FOTA or whatever," he said. "I think there is always a big commotion in F1 every seven years or so, and this is one of those times. Now there is an open door to finding a solution, and as a new team it is important for us to help in this."

SOURCE: Autosport

VIRGIN SET FOR MANOR GP MOVE

Virgin's switch from sponsoring Brawn GP to the new Manor team has been all but confirmed, after the Guardian newspaper published on Friday a leaked email saying the deal was done.

There has been intense speculation that Richard Branson's company would join the F1 newcomers for several weeks, with one source saying that the team has informed other potential sponsors that Virgin will buy into the outfit and have it renamed.

Manor itself has kept tight-lipped on the Virgin deal, with team boss John Booth telling AUTOSPORT last week that he would not comment on commercial deals.

However, the Guardian has published an email from Alan Donnelly, who is Max Mosley's official representative, saying the Virgin tie-up was completed several weeks ago.

"Virgin have signed to be investment partners with a share holding of around 20%," said the email.

Although the news of Virgin's deal with Manor is interesting enough, the involvement of Donnelly in the deal has added fresh intrigue - with several teams questioning whether or not there is a conflict of interest in his role as stewards' adviser.

The Formula One Teams' Association has already written to the FIA questioning Donnelly's neutrality in his steward role, although the governing body insists that any support for new teams is merely part of what should be expected to help bolster the grid and improve the sport.

The Guardian also revealed, however, that Donnelly proposed helping put together a deal with the Saudi royal family and the Manor team.

"I will be in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and look forward to seeing you at our planned meeting . . . with representatives of Manor and Virgin," wrote Donnelly in his email, sent to the Saudi royal family.

"However if you would like a pre-meeting with me privately on Sunday then please let me know."

Donnelly himself, however, insists that his visit to Saudi Arabia was purely official FIA business to meet with the country's sports ministry, potential investors in new circuits and the Saudi Motorsport Federation.

"I also met potential investors in Formula 1," the Guardian quoted him as saying. "It would be odd for an FIA representative to refuse to assist in any of these projects."

SOURCE: Autosport

VATANEN "INTERESTED" IN FIA PRESIDENCY

Ari Vatanen, the former world rally champion, has thrown his hat into the ring as a potential candidate to stand against Max Mosley as FIA president later this year.

The Finn, who won the WRC title in 1981 and was a member of the European Parliamant until this year, has been mentioned in recent weeks as a possible contender to go up against Mosley.

Now Vatanen has confirmed that he is seriously considering the prospect of standing against Mosley, if the current president chooses to restand for another term in October.

Vatanen was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters: "I'm consulting the member clubs and am already seeing positive feedback. I think the time has come for a change. I would go for it, even if not sure of winning."

Mosley had agreed with F1 teams to step down at the end of his current term, but he is considering his options after what he claims were 'deliberately misleading' comments made by them to the press.

He has told the FIA member clubs that it is important the governing body maintains its strengths and does not sacrifice powers to the teams - something that requires a 'strong' president.

SOURCE: Autosport

FOTA TO CONSULT FANS ON F1 RULES

Grand Prix racing fans will be consulted more about future rule changes, claims a leading figure from the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA).

Ahead of meetings scheduled for the Nurburgring from tomorrow to discuss framing the 2010 regulations, McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh reckons that the input of fans will become vital for the longer term health of the sport.

In a video interview produced by McLaren, Whitmarsh suggests that FOTA embarked with the intention of listening to what fans wanted - something that he believes put it on a collision course with the FIA and F1's commercial rights holders.

"FOTA set out to conduct the first proper audience surveys, which were an exciting piece of work," explained Whitmarsh.

"The first time we went out we didn't just ask the ardent fans, we asked those with a passing interest in F1 - what is it that they wanted from F1? How could we make it better? What did they want from the show? What did they want from the technology?

"I think that process started to challenge perhaps, wrongly in the minds of the commercial rights holder and the governing body, and inevitably there led to differences of opinion and philosophy about how we should take the sport forward."

FOTA did reach an agreement with the FIA last month about future rules for F1, but there remains some uncertainty about the immediate situation after Max Mosley expressed anger at what he felt were deliberate attempts by the teams' body to mislead the media.

Whitmarsh said he hoped the future would see greater cooperation between teams and the FIA - but said the priority would always be doing what was best for the fans.

Speaking about the recent accord with the FIA, Whitmarsh said: "Some of the proposals that were unacceptable to the teams were dropped, and hopefully that is the start.

"There is no absolute in F1 as it is a complex business with all sorts of politics and egos, but hopefully it is part of a process where we can now start to build and work together.

"That is not just the teams, but also the governing body and the commercial rights holder to improve the sport.

"So what does it mean for the fans? It means we should be more actively listening to them. A lot of changes have occurred in F1 over the recent years that haven't really taken into account the wishes of fans. We haven't properly brought those into the thought structure and hopefully in the future we will see much more of that."

SOURCE: Autosport

FIA: FOTA CAN'T FINALISE RULES BY ITSELF

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has been told by the FIA that it cannot go it alone and finalise new regulations by itself unless it has the full support of non-member teams, AUTOSPORT has learned.

With the eight FOTA outfits set to meet with Williams, Force India and the three new teams at the Nurburgring on Wednesday to begin discussing the plans for 2010, the FIA has made it clear that unanimous support will be required for next year's rules to change.

In separate letters that FIA president Mosley has sent to teams, both inside and outside of FOTA, plus Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, it has been made clear that there must be approval from all competitors for the governing body to be able to adopt new regulations.

"As you are aware, Article 66 of the International Sporting Code states that no change can be made to the published regulations without the agreement of all confirmed entrants," wrote Mosley in one of the letters to the non FOTA member teams.

"As a result, changes to the 2010 regulations require your agreement and consent.

"I would therefore ask you engage as a matter of urgency with the FOTA teams to seek agreement and to formalise the above principals into suitable contracts and propose a draft set of FIA regulations that all teams are satisfied with.

"Should significant problems arise, I shall be glad to involve the FIA Senate, but I hope this will not be necessary.

"Once these arrangements have been finalised to your satisfaction, you will need to notify the FIA so that the regulations can be formally amended."

In a more recent letter to di Montezemolo, FOTA teams were advised that the approval of the rules by the five non-member teams was vital because they were the only entries that had been fully ratified for 2010.

FOTA teams have entered on the basis of an agreement reached with the FIA last month being put in place. With those rules not yet agreed, FOTA was advised its teams could theoretically only be 'observers' in the future discussions.

Article 66 of the International Sporting Code states that: "No amendments shall be made to the Supplementary Regulations after the beginning of the period for receiving entries, unless unanimous agreement is given by all competitors already entered, or by decision of the stewards of the meeting for reasons of force majeure or safety (see Article 141)."

Getting approval from the new teams for the scrapping of the budget cap rules may not be straightforward, though, with the teams having signed up to the championship when the £40 million limit was in place.

Manor Grand Prix boss John Booth told AUTOSPORT last month that the scrapping of the budget cap was not ideal for his team - although he felt it too early to judge what difference it would make to his plans.

"It makes it more difficult of course, but I think we can just about manage it," he said. "It just depends what the target is in two years time, what 1990s levels were. Honestly, it's almost impossible to comment."

SOURCE: Autosport

FOTA WALK OUT OF FIA MEETING

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) walked out of a technical meeting with the FIA about future rules on Wednesday, renewing doubts about the strength of the recent peace deal.

The FIA held one of its regular Technical Working Group meetings at the Nurburgring to make moves on finalising F1 rules, following agreement to scrap controversial budget cap regulations.

The meeting included representatives from all the current teams, plus new outfits US F1, Campos Meta and Manor Grand Prix.

Some progress was made in terms of agreeing to scrap the specific budget cap rules introduced on April 29.

However, the teams could not agree on a minimum weight limit for 2010, and there had also not been a sign-off of the legally binding agreement to reduce costs.

Of most interest, though, just a day after AUTOSPORT revealed that FOTA had been told that it could not finalise rules without agreement from non-member teams, the eight outfits involved in the organisation left the meeting when asked to provide input on further rule changes it hoped to see in place.

A statement from the FIA, detailing the meeting, said: "Following the decision of the World Council on 24 June to revert to the pre-29 April version of the 2010 F1 Sporting and Technical Regulations, the FIA today met the teams which have entered the 2010 Championship to seek their agreement to these changes.

"All changes have now been agreed subject only to the maintenance of the minimum weight at 620 kg and the signing of a legally binding agreement between all the teams competing in 2010 to reduce costs to the level of the early 1990s within two years, as promised by the FOTA representative in Paris on 24 June.

"The eight FOTA teams were invited to attend the meeting to discuss their further proposals for 2010. Unfortunately no discussion was possible because FOTA walked out of the meeting."

The decision by FOTA to walk out of the meeting has not yet been explained, but it has renewed fears that there is still major differences about its path for the future and the FIA's.

Mosley has already told FOTA that he is considering standing again as president in October in light of what he believes were deliberately misleading comments made to the media about a deal they reached last month to avert the threat of a breakaway.

SOURCE: Autosport

FOTA SAYS FIA PUTTING F1 FUTURE IN JEOPARDY

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has accused the FIA of putting the future of the sport in jeopardy after talks to sort out rules collapsed on Wednesday.

At the end of a dramatic day at the Nurburgring, which resulted in FOTA members walking out of an FIA meeting after they were told they could have no input on regulatory discussions, the teams' organisation has gone on the attack against the governing body.

It is angry that, as AUTOSPORT revealed on Tuesday, the FIA believes the FOTA teams do not have full entries to next year's championship so cannot vote on rules.

The teams were officially informed of their 'observer' status on Wednesday, prompting frustration that left the teams with no choice but to leave the meeting.

A statement from FOTA said: "Representatives of all FOTA teams attended a meeting of the Sporting Working Group at the Nurburgring today.

"During the course of this meeting, the team managers were informed by Mr Charlie Whiting of the FIA that, contrary to previous agreements, the eight FOTA teams are not currently entered into the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship and have no voting rights in relation to the technical and sporting regulations thereof.

"It will be remembered that all eight active FOTA members were included on the "accepted" entry list as endorsed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) and communicated by FIA press statement on June 24.

"In light of these claims, the FOTA representatives requested a postponement of today's meetings. This was rejected on the grounds that no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved."

The statement added: "It is clear to the FOTA teams that the basis of the 2010 technical and sporting regulations was already established in Paris.

"As endorsed by the WMSC and clearly stated in the FIA press statement of 24 June "the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009.

"At no point in the Paris discussions was any requirement for unanimous agreement on regulations change expressed. To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy.

"As a result of these statements, the FOTA representatives at the subsequent Technical Working Group were not able to exercise their rights and therefore had no option other than to terminate their participation."

The standoff between FOTA and the FIA is in stark contrast to the cooperation pact that appeared to have been struck last month prior to the most recent FIA World Motor Sport Council meeting.

There, FIA president Max Mosley, FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo and Bernie Ecclestone agreed a deal that headed off the threat of a breakaway.

Since then, however, Mosley has reconsidered his decision to step down from his role in October because of what he believes were misleading claims made by FOTA to the media.

Today's breakdown in talks leaves the future path for the sport unclear, with the prospect of a breakaway now re-emerging.

Sources suggest that F1 owners CVC are furious with the latest development, which has cast a cloud over the future of the sport just a few weeks after peace had broken out.

FOTA is adamant that the collapse in the discussions can be pinned firmly on the FIA.

Its statement said: "The FOTA members undertook the Paris agreement and the subsequent discussions in good faith and with a desire to engage with all new and existing teams on the future of Formula One."

SOURCE: Autosport

FIA: FOTA WAS AWARE OF OBSERVER STATUS

Formula 1's ruling body, the FIA, has responded to the FOTA teams, claiming they were aware of the rule-making process when they joined yesterday's meeting.

The eight FOTA teams decided to walk out of the meeting on Wednesday after they were told they could have no input on regulatory discussions.

FOTA was informed they only had an 'observer' status in the process, leading to the teams leaving the meeting and accusing the FIA of putting the sport in jeopardy.

The governing body, however, has responded to FOTA, saying the teams should have known that the unanimous approval of all 13 F1 teams was mandatory.

"Before FOTA's decision to walk out of yesterday's Technical Working Group meeting, the President of the FIA wrote twice to the President of FOTA to remind him that any amendments to the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship regulations were subject to the unanimous approval of the five teams that had already entered for next season under the rules as published," said the FIA in a statement.

"This is because of the International Sporting Code and also because the entered teams have a contract with the FIA which not even the General Assembly or the World Council can abrogate. Anyone with an elementary knowledge of motor sport governance knows this.

"Imagine the uproar if, after the FOTA teams had entered, the World Council were subsequently to change the rules without asking them.

"It follows that the agreement of the five teams currently entered in the 2010 World Championship to all 2010 rule changes is required.

"To suggest that FOTA were only made aware of this during the meetings of yesterday is quite simply untrue. So is the implicit claim that they were all unaware of one of motor sport's basic principles."

The FOTA teams requested the postponement of the meeting, but the teams' body said it was refused "on the grounds that no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved."

The FIA said on Thursday that it was "probable" that the new deal could be signed in the coming days, suggesting the delay has been caused by FOTA sending a completely new, 350-page, document.

It added that while this wasn't what the governing body had expected, it was optimistic a suitable agreement could ready to be signed soon.

"The deal that the FIA reached with FOTA in Paris was to extend the 1998 Concorde Agreement with some minor amendments to the governance section," the statement added. "This would have put in place an F1 Commission to deal with future rules with any major question going to the FIA Senate.

"However, on 25 June, instead of the 1998 Agreement with some minor amendments, the FIA received 350 pages of a completely new Concorde Agreement.

"It being wholly impractical to involve the Senate in such detailed negotiations, the contract was handed over to FIA lawyers, who worked on it tirelessly over the weekend 27-28 June and gave comments during a three-hour conference call on Monday 29 June. Then the 350 pages of 25 June turned out not to be the final FOTA/FOA version and elements of a new version appeared, partly on 2 July, partly on 3 July.

"Again, FIA lawyers worked over the weekend on 4-5 July, as did FIA President Max Mosley and FIA Deputy President (sport) Nick Craw. Further comments were then given on a three and a half hour lawyers' call on Monday 6 July and again in a conference call yesterday, 8 July, following the circulation of further drafts. Further significant progress was made yesterday evening in yet another conference call.

"At present it seems probable that a final draft of the 2009 Concorde Agreement will be agreed and ready for signature in the coming days."

SOURCE: Autosport

MELBOURNE COULD PULL OUT OVER F1 ROW

Australian Grand Prix chairman Ron Walker has warned that the continuing uncertainty over Formula 1's future could see his event withdraw from the schedule.

As the FIA/FOTA row reignited following a disagreement at yesterday's Technical Working Group meeting, Walker said the lingering possibility of a breakaway championship involving most of F1's best-known teams would ba a major issue for the Melbourne organisers.

"If the disunity continues Melbourne will seriously consider its position on continuing with Formula 1," he told Australian newspaper The Age.

"Without Ferrari racing in Melbourne, [the race] will lose much of its glamour and therefore the government investment will come into question."

Walker believes can be solved if Max Mosley follows his originally stated intention to step down from the FIA presidency when his term of office ends. He has hinted that he could be persuaded to stand for re-election if the FIA clubs felt that the body was under attack from the car manufacturers whose teams comprise much of FOTA.

"In my view Mr Mosley should walk away from the sport with dignity rather than slowly strangle to death the great brand of Formula 1," said Walker.

"The sport needs fresh and dynamic leadership more than ever before to lead F1 into a new era of motor racing. Bernie Ecclestone is absolutely trying to be a peacemaker, but if the most successful automotive companies in the world will not agree to the rules laid down by the FIA then that will be the end of it."

SOURCE: Autosport

F1 BREAKAWAY PLANS STILL IN PLACE

Eight of the major Formula 1 teams are continuing with plans to set up a breakaway championship next year.

F1 was thrown into confusion when the eight teams in the rebel umbrella group Fota were told on Wednesday they were not entered in the 2010 championship.

"We have to keep our options open," said BMW F1 boss Mario Theissen. "We are working in both directions.

"It is part of the ongoing negotiations and we can only hope it will be sorted out," he added.

Theissen said the teams had been caught by surprise when FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting told their engineers in the meeting that they could not have an input into a discussion on finalising next year's rules because they did not have entries.

Whiting's statement contradicted an announcement by the FIA's world council on 24 June which listed the eight Fota teams - McLaren, Ferrari, Renault, BMW, Toyota, Brawn, Red Bull and Toro Rosso - as confirmed entries.

That statement had come after Max Mosley, president of F1's governing body the FIA, had reached a compromise deal with Fota chairman and Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo and F1 commercial boss Bernie Ecclestone.

As part of that agreement, the outline of next year's rules was set, the teams agreed to commit to F1 until 2012, Mosley's plan for a £40m budget cap was replaced with an agreement to reduce costs to "mid-1990s levels" by Fota's methods and the FIA president agreed not to stand again for the governing body's presidence in October's elections.

Theissen said: "It's somewhat confusing to have been accepted as an entrant and then suddenly it looks different again."

Fota said in a statement after Wednesday's meeting that the FIA's new stance had "put the future of Formula 1 in jeopardy".

But after the FIA put out a lengthy statement on Thursday detailing its side of the argument, the bosses of the Fota teams were taking a more conciliatory line as they arrived at the Nurburgring ahead of Sunday's European Grand Prix.

Theissen described the FIA's latest move as "irritating", but added: "I wouldn't exaggerate it."

It is understood that the teams are trying to negotiate a new commercial settlement with CVC, the venture capital group that owns the commercial rights to F1, at the same time as finalising with Mosley and Ecclestone a new Concorde Agreement, the document that binds them to the sport and which enshrines their rights.

The FIA statement ended by saying: "At present, it seems probable that a final draft of the 2009 Concorde Agreement will be agreed and be ready for signature in the coming days."

But Fota insiders insist they will break away from F1 if Mosley tries to renege on what was agreed in Paris last month.

After the Fota teams left the meeting on Wednesday after it was made clear to them that they would not be allowed to participate in discussions, the remaining teams rubber-stamped all the rules that had been proposed and agreed by the F1 Teams' Association.

Those left at the meeting were current teams Williams and Force India and the three new teams - Manor, US F1 and Campos.

Manor technical director Nick Wirth, who has a close relationship with Mosley, told BBC Sport: "The five teams left, all agreed it unanimously. I can see, despite hubris, that there is commonality on the technical side.

"There is discussion about a new Concorde Agreement but the fact is the technical regulations are an appendix of the Concorde Agreement - so if you want a new Concorde Agreement, you need to agree technical regulations. It's almost like a chicken and egg (situation) at the moment.

"There is a lot of tension and antagonism but I hope everything will calm down.

"Actually, I am quite confident it will. I'm confident on technical agreement - we will not have two sets of rules - and I hope and believe we will have progress in the next few days."

SOURCE: BBC Sport

...i [am not] fully convinced this is over...Racky_rules

Oh hey look, +100 for Racky for getting it right :lol:

[QUOTE="Racky_rules"]...i [am not] fully convinced this is over...Redders1989

Oh hey look, +100 for Racky for getting it right :lol:

'Fraid not :lol:

David Croft on latest F1 debate

Well done racky :P

Just when you think the two sides can get on they pull another stunt. So now the technical details for next season get rubber stamped by 2 of the worst constructors this year, and 3 brand new entrants with no F1 experience? nice :roll:

Seriously the way this is all going I would love to see the FOTA teams create their breakaway series, but not to tell F1 until the end of this season. That will leave no time for Bernie and the FIA to recover anything for next year and teach them all a lesson they deserve. Bernie may need F1, but F1 no longer needs Bernie and his cronies.

JAMES ALLEN ON THE NEW ROW

This has been a bizarre few days for Formula 1, but then that's not unusual this season.

Yesterday we were treated to stories about teams walking out of meetings and they responded to FIA statements by suggesting that F1's future is in jeopardy.

In fact the situation is quite close to being resolved and a new agreement binding the FIA, FOM and the teams is close to being signed.

There are still some stumbling blocks. The FIA wants FOTA to recognise the new teams and give them a voice, and it also wants all the teams to sign a legally binding agreement between themselves which will commit them to bringing the costs down in F1 to the levels of the early 1990s.

They also have to commit to signing the Concorde Agreement.

The FOTA teams aren't too keen on giving the new teams much of a say on things, but it may be that this is the price they pay for getting what they want, which is the FIA to sign the revised Concorde Agreement and Max Mosley to follow through on his promise to stand down in October.

If Mosley gets what he wants then I sense that he will step down as planned.

So you can see that for all the fiery rhetoric of the last few days, in fact there are only a few final steps to take and stability will reign again in F1.

If for any reason those steps are not taken in the next few weeks, then the teams reserve the right to go through with the breakaway they threatened last month.

But it is not what they want and it's most certainly not what CVC, the finance company which owns 75% of Bernie Ecclestone's business, want.

I get the impression that they have been pretty active in the last phase of this process.

They have invested a huge amount of money in F1 and taken on a very large debt.

They want to be able to make a profitable exit and so they have applied pressure to get this dispute resolved.

As for the mystery of how the FIA could tell the teams that they are not entered into the 2010 championship, it turns out that this is because they have not yet physically put their entries in yet.

They have agreed to, at the Paris meeting on 25 June - but so far, according to FIA sources, the only teams to have tabled entries are Williams, Force India, US F1, Manor and Campos.

And since the entry forms the basis of the contract between teams and regulators, the FIA used a clause in the sporting code to say that the FOTA eight were not entered.

It doesn't seem to matter because the five who are entered voted through the 2010 rules package agreed in Paris on 25 June anyway - despite the fact that it meant the new teams who had signed up because of the budget cap were voting to get rid of it!

SOURCE: ITV-F1

MELBOURNE WON'T HOST "HALF AN F1 RACE"

Victoria Premier John Brumby insists Melbourne is not interested in hosting a Formula 1 race without the top teams.

Australia's F1 chief Ron Walker already said on Thursday that the country would not want to have a grand prix without teams like Ferrari if the top names leave the sport to create their own championship.

Brumby backed Walker's views, saying the city will not pay for "half an event".

"I want value for money for Victorian taxpayers and that means that you want all of the competitors, you want all of the race teams," Brumby told the Sydney Morning Herald.

"We won't be paying for half an event, simple as that. So I hope that they can resolve this, I'm sure that they can. I think it's very early days."

Opposition leader Ted Baillieu, however, urged the government to do everything possible to keep the race in Melbourne, even if it meant hosting a race without the top teams.

"The Victorian government must now have a contingency plan in order to keep the grand prix here in Victoria in the future" he said.

"If we lose the grand prix it'll be gone forever."

SOURCE: Autosport

VATANEN TO RUN FOR F1 PRESIDENCY

Former world rally champion Ari Vatanen has confirmed that he will run for the presidency of the FIA in October's elections.

Following days of speculation about the Finn's future, after revealing earlier this week that he was considering putting himself forward, he announced on Thursday that he has decided to go ahead with his plans.

"Responding to requests from many FIA member clubs, I shall stand for presidential elections of the FIA in October this year", said Vatanen, who was a European MP until earlier this year.

"I think the time has come for a change. My main focus is to reconcile views within the FIA and bring transparency to its stakeholders. The duty of President is to defend billion automobilists and the great sport of ours."

Vatanen's decision to stand as president comes amid continued uncertainty about whether or not current president Max Mosley will stand again.

Mosley originally intended to step down at the end of his current term, but his dispute with the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has forced him to reconsider his plans.

FOTA would prefer Mosley to leave, however, and are pushing F1's commercial rights holders CVC to ensure he goes as part of a deal they are putting together to try and secure the future of the sport.

As AUTOSPORT reported earlier this week, Vatanen must now put forward a list of 22 'cabinet' members who would fill certain positions within the FIA structure if he was elected.

SOURCE: Autosport