Formula 1

[amaway]

Ferrari have announced that they will quit Formula One at the end of the 2009 season if a budget cap is introduced into the sport.

In an effort to cut costs, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) are planning to limit the amount teams can spend from 2010 onwards.

The proposal, which would see a ceiling set at £40 million, would mean those capped teams competing would be able to operate with far greater technical freedom than those with unlimited budgets.

Following a meeting of their board of directors in Maranello, Ferrari have reacted by stating they will not compete if a cap is in place.

Statement
"We confirm our opposition to the new technical regulations adopted by the FIA and do not intend entering our cars in the 2010 F1 Championship," a statement from Ferrari read.

The Italian team believe the plans put forward by the FIA, which is headed by president Max Mosley, would lead to a two-tier championship.

The statement released also criticised the FIA's decision-making process, claiming that teams have not been properly consulted.

"The rules of governance that have contributed to the development of Formula 1 over the last 25 years have been disregarded, as have the binding contractual obligations between Ferrari and the FIA itself regarding the stability of the regulations," the report said.

"The same rules for all teams, stability of regulations, the continuity of the FOTA's endeavours to methodically and progressively reduce costs, and governance of Formula 1 are the priorities for the future.

"If these indispensable principles are not respected and if the regulations adopted for 2010 will not change, then Ferrari do not intend to enter our cars in the next Formula 1 World Championship."

Ferrari are the only team to have contested every season of the world championship since the modern format was introduced in 1950.

They are not alone in being against the changes, though they are the first to make a statement of intent ahead of the May 29 deadline for 2010 entries.

[Noxide]

Even if the nine rebel FOTA teams do not race in Formula One next year, there are already more than enough valid 2010 entries to potentially fill the grid.

It has emerged that yet more teams have lodged paperwork to abide the announced budget cap rules: Epsilon Euskadi and N. Technology, whose applications swell the potential entry list to ten teams and 20 cars.

Additionally, it is rumoured that junior motor racing outfits Carlin and Manor Motorsport might also have thrown their hats into the 2010 ring, as may have a so far unannounced Italian team.

Alongside current team Williams, already officially signed up with the FIA for 2010 are Prodrive, Lola, USF1, Superfund, March, Campos, Litespeed and Brabham.

Spanish prototype Le Mans sports car team Epsilon Euskadi's Joan Villadelprat confirmed to the Diario AS newspaper on Wednesday that he lodged the 2010 entry one week ago.

"I can say that we have our future assured for at least four years," he said, insisting that even if the budget cap figure increases, the team will remain ready to compete.
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Meanwhile, in a statement to the media, MSC Organisation Ltd said it submitted its entry paperwork on 23 May - the day after the one-week window for official applications opened.

While the FIA would despair at the departure of grandee teams like Ferrari, McLaren, and even current championship favourites Brawn, the bustle of the current 2010 entry list has emboldened Max Mosley's stance in the FOTA stand-off.

"I think we are looking quite good," the FIA President said when asked about the teams already entered for next season.

Turning his attention to the existing FOTA teams, he told Switzerland's Motorsport Aktuell: "What I would say to them is that if they want to write the rules, they should organise their own championship."

The FIA will publish the 2010 entry list on June 12.

[Noxide]

Formula 1 has been thrown into chaos after eight of its major teams said they are now planning to set up a rival championship for the 2010 season.

The threat by members of the F1 Teams Association (Fota) escalates their row with world motorsport boss Max Mosley over his budget cap proposals.

"The teams have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 F1 Championship," said the teams.

"We've no alternative than to commence preparation for a new championship."

Mosley was insistent on introducing a voluntary £40m budget cap for teams to curtail a "financial arms race" in F1.

But Fota refused to agree to his conditions, prompting championship leader Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso to take their drastic action.

They announced their decision following a four-hour meeting on Thursday night ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

"Since the formation of Fota last September the teams have worked together and sought to engage the FIA and commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone), to develop and improve the sport," read a Fota statement.

"Unprecedented worldwide financial turmoil has inevitably placed great challenges before the F1 community.

"Fota is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport.

"In particular, the manufacturer teams have provided assistance to the independent teams, a number of which would probably not be in the sport today without the Fota initiatives.

The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship

Fota statement

"The Fota teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future.

"Following these efforts, all the teams have confirmed to the FIA and the commercial rights holder that they are willing to commit until the end of 2012.

"The FIA and the commercial rights holder have campaigned to divide Fota.

"The wishes of the majority of the teams are ignored. Furthermore, tens of millions of dollars have been withheld from many teams by the commercial rights holder, going back as far as 2006.

"Despite this, and the uncompromising environment, Fota has genuinely sought compromise.

"It has become clear, however, the teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship."

Fota added that its championship would put F1 fans first and boast the best drivers and sponsors.

"This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders," added the statement.



"The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series."

Former champions Williams and Force India have already committed unconditionally to the FIA's world championship along with three new entrants - Campos, US F1 and Manor.

The FIA has said there are other would-be newcomers waiting to take the places of those teams that refused to enter unconditionally, although one, Lola, has already withdrawn its application.

The stage is also set for a legal battle, with the FIA saying champions Ferrari and the two Red Bull teams have existing contracts which commit them to the existing championship.

The FIA had set a Friday deadline for five teams - Brawn, BMW-Sauber, McLaren, Renault and Toyota - to convert their provisional entries into unconditional ones or risk being excluded.

There was no immediate comment from the FIA or Ecclestone.

Speaking at Silverstone ahead of Friday practice, BBC TV's F1 commentator Jonathan Legard said: "The FIA will say this is a power play, it's brinkmanship, and if they [the teams] want to do their own series then so be it. But things are not looking good."

[SEfan1985]

Good morning,

just read this! Even if it was possible that it comes to this resolution I am quite surprised. But if the new series can provide their promises it could become a great series

[Noxide]

Good morning,

just read this! Even if it was possible that it comes to this resolution I am quite surprised. But if the new series can provide their promises it could become a great series

I think it's the right thing to do.
Ecclestone and Mosley are not capable of running the current championship.
And now they only have 5 teams for next year.
Idiots

[santattack]

I think it's the right thing to do.
Ecclestone and Mosley are not capable of running the current championship.
And now they only have 5 teams for next year.
Idiots

1st season when all drivers will b able 2 win

[Lemmings]

The predicted rain showers steered clear of the home of British motorsport this afternoon allowing a fully dry qualifying hour. With a large enthusiastic crowd on hand, Sebastian Vettel stormed to his second straight pole position with a best lap of 1:19.509s, three-tenths clear of nearest challenger Rubens Barrichello.

As Red Bull celebrate Vettel’s pole lap, team-mate Mark Webber was left a frustrated third having set the pace ahead of the final frantic minutes of the session. The Australian veteran, who has yet to out-qualify Vettel this year, was just a hundredth of a second shy of Barrichello’s Brawn Mercedes.

As expected, Toyota has shown well with Jarno Trulli behind the wheel as the Italian veteran qualified a fine fourth. Team-mate Timo Glock was four-tenths adrift in the second TF109 and starts in eighth position.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of qualifying was the pace Kazuki Nakajima. The Williams Toyota driver is 20th and last in the drivers’ championship partly through some bad luck but mostly due to qualifying and race errors. There were no such problems today as the Japanese racer secured a career best fifth position on the grid in his FW31.

Championship leader Jenson Button starts sixth in the second Brawn Mercedes, describing his own qualifying performance as ‘not good’. While Barrichello seems to have found the sweet spot on the BGP 001, Button is struggling to find the right balance and at this stage of the weekend, that doesn’t bode well for race day.

Nico Rosberg starts seventh in the second Williams, trailing team-mate Nakajima on this occasion by just over a tenth of a second while Kimi Raikkonen is ninth in the leading Ferrari some 1.2 seconds off Vettel’s pole position time. Fernando Alonso rounds out the top ten in the leading Renault.

Felipe Massa starts 11th in the second Ferrari after a difficult session, while Robert Kubica led the BMW Sauber challenge in 12th. Team-mate Nick Heidfeld suffered a couple of off-track excursions and will line up his F1.09 in 15th position.

Heikki Kovalainen did a good job to make it into the second round of qualifying and starts 13th ahead of the second Renault of Nelson Piquet while Lewis Hamilton, last year’s race winner, is a dismal 19th.

With numerous revisions to the Force India Mercedes package, the Silverstone-based team had hoped to make the second round of qualifying. However, Giancarlo Fisichella will have to be content with 16th position while Adrian Sutil, third fastest in practice yesterday afternoon, is recovering from a sizeable shunt that brought out the red flags just ahead of the chequered flag.

Sutil’s VJM02 seemed to snap away under braking forcing Sutil to take to the grass and then make heavy contact with the Armco on the inside of the circuit. The team later confirmed incident was caused by a brake failure and that Sutil will take over the spare chassis for the Grand Prix.

Sebastien Bourdais starts 17th between the Force India duo in the leading Toro Rosso Ferrari while Lewis Hamilton starts a dismal 19th in the second McLaren Mercedes. Having survived a moment when the rear end of the car broke away in the high speed Maggotts – Becketts sequence, Hamilton could have – perhaps - improved were it not for the red flags at the end of the first round of qualifying. Either way, the MP4-24 lacks the downforce to be competitive at the faster circuits.

Sebastien Buemi has endured a difficult weekend in the second Toro Rosso and brings up the rear of the field.

At the half-way stage of the season it is Vettel on top again and he will be looking not to lose ground on the first lap this Sunday while fellow front-row starter Barrichello will be looking for a clean start following his start-line dramas last time out in Turkey.

Now we await the publication of the fuel levels carried in this session to see what the above all really means.

[Noxide]

On a day when Sky Italia took a poll during their broadcast of the British Grand Prix which found an astonishing 91 percent of viewers supported the Formula One Teams' Association stance, Max Mosley said the FIA will not proceed with legal action against the FOTA members, indicating he would rather reach a deal to stave off the threat of a breakaway championship.

"There won't be any writ. I think we would rather talk than litigate," the President of the Paris-based body said before walking the Silverstone grid.

Mosley, who in an earlier interview this weekend dismissed the FOTA figureheads like ‘the Bernie’ Flavio Briatore as ‘loonies’, claims there is actually very little the teams and the FIA is arguing about.

He invited the disgruntled rebel teams to "sit down and iron out the last few difficulties."

"It's definitely getting better - but these things take time," he explained. "The problem is we have eight teams and some want to sit down, some don't.
No doubt, eventually they all will."

He agrees with Martin Whitmarsh that time is a factor, after the McLaren boss said preparations for the breakaway will be too far advanced by the end of July.

"If this goes on for any length of time, it damages the teams. It doesn't affect the FIA, it damages the teams because it affects their sponsors," said Mosley.

Bernie Ecclestone said he was pleased to hear about Mosley's comments.

"If Max says (a deal) is close, then that's good," the F1 Chief Executive said.

[SEfan1985]

I hope that, if it comes to the conlusion that the teams realy found their own series, the teams are able to build a serious series which takes place around the world. There are easier things in the world than building a wordwide sports series

[Noxide]

Ferrari has parted company with its head of aerodynamics and wind tunnel John Iley, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Wednesday.

The specialist newspaper said it is the relative lack of competitiveness of this year's F60 that moved the famous Maranello team to act and that other key staff changes cannot be ruled out.

The Italian publication claims a 'serious' mistake in the area of the aerodynamics has been identified as the root of the 2009 car's problems.

Iley, 41, who joined Ferrari from Renault in 2004, reportedly reached an agreement with the team after the German Grand Prix for an immediate departure.


It has been agreed that he will not join a rival team for at least six months, but is already being linked with a return to working with former Ferrari Technical Director Ross Brawn.

Iley's responsibilities for the time being have been taken over by Nicholas Tombazis.





Maybe we can be on the podium in the next couple of races...