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FOTA/FIA SPLIT

From The Associated Press via ESPN.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/racing/f1/news/story?id=4270761

SILVERSTONE, England -- Formula One's biggest teams began preparations for a breakaway series early Friday after failing to resolve their dispute with motor sport's governing body over financial constraints.

The Formula One Teams' Association announced it would not compromise on the quality of the series by signing up unconditionally for the 2010 F1 season under the FIA's radical new plans for cost-cutting.

FOTA also criticized the FIA's "uncompromising" stance and attempts, along with the commercial rights holder, to divide its member teams.

FIA president Max Mosley was insistent on introducing a voluntary $60 million budget cap for teams to curtail a "financial arms race" in F1. Those that don't agree to the cap would have more technical restrictions, something Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo had called "fundamentally unfair."

Now the Italian team, which has competed in every F1 race since 1950, as well as championship leader Brawn GP, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso are set to leave F1 after FOTA said it could not agree to the FIA's conditions.

"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 said after a meeting near Silverstone ahead of Sunday's British Grand Prix. "These teams, therefore, have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners.

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

FOTA said its efforts to remain part of Mosley's series had been hampered by the FIA's approach to negotiations.

"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," FOTA said. "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."

Amid the global economic downturn, FOTA said it has already embarked on substantial cost-cutting.

The independent Brawn GP team only rose from the ashes of Honda after the Japanese automaker pulled out of F1 late last year as it was forced to focus on its core business. Yet now Brawn's Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello occupy the top two spots in the drivers' standings going into Sunday's race.

"FOTA is proud that it has achieved the most substantial measures to reduce costs in the history of our sport," the statement said. "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 FOTA teams have further agreed upon a substantial voluntary cost reduction that provides a sustainable model for the future."

The drivers had already been preparing for radical developments to emerge from Thursday's FOTA talks.

Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso made it clear in the paddock on Thursday that he would leave F1 if his Renault team pulled out of F1.

"For me the new Formula One would be unattractive, with the small teams and no drivers," Alonso said. "We want to compete with the best teams in the world, the maximum technology: We all want to compete with the best drivers.

"If this is not what Formula One is about next year, then it will be another category with that. I won't retire, I will drive for another championship."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

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Comment by Jeremy on June 26, 2009 at 10:16pm: from the autosport website

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."

Comment by jwane on June 25, 2009 at 5:25pm: Here we go again. Mosley may or may not be stepping down and claims he was not forces out.

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.

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76529

Comment by Damon on June 24, 2009 at 11:08am: Forgot to add, Max Mosley is out as FIA president

Comment by Damon on June 24, 2009 at 11:05am: F1 disaster avoided, no split.....per ESPN

Comment by Reggie on June 24, 2009 at 8:43am: That isn't anything official, the schedule I saw actually had the road course at Daytona on it, as well as Road America and a few others that escapeme at the moment. FOTA hasn't booked anything yet, so any schedule out right now is just something that has been conjured up by the media.

Comment by Jeremy on June 24, 2009 at 4:36am: Reggie... If the FOTA do breakaway from F1 Here is a Provisional FOTA 2010 Schedule that was leaked.

March 3 Buenos Aires Argentina
March 21 Mexico City Mexico
April 11 Jerez Spain
April 25 Portimao Portugal
May 2 Imola San Marino
May 23 Monte Carlo Monaco
June 6 Montreal Canada
June 13 Indianapolis United States
July 1 Silverstone United Kingdom
July 25 Magny-Cours France
August 15 Laustizring Germany
August 29 Helsinki Finland
September 12 Monza Italy
September 26 Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates
October 10 Marina Bay Singapore
October 24 Suzuka Japan
November 8 Adelaide or Surfers' Paradise Australia