Alvin's Formula One Blog

This is bullshit. This is Max's divide and conquer tactic again. How can the teams get a unanimous agreement when Max has 2 of them on his side (Manor and Campos)? There is no way that FOTA will win this one. The solution is simple - either Max goes or FOTA starts a breakaway series. I say breakaway series. Teach that motherfucker a lesson. Wednesday 8th July 2009 The 13 Formula One teams who signed up for the 2010 Championship have been told that a unanimous agreement is needed to change regulations for the new season. According to Autosport , FIA President Max Mosley has written to new entrants Campos Meta, US F1 and Manor Grand Prix as well as Williams and Force India stating that the Formula One Teams' Association need their consent if they want to change rules for 2010. "Article 66 of the International Sporting Code states that no change can be made to the published regulations without the agreement of al...

There is no two ways about it, Max has to go. Cancer is cancer and Max is stage 4. 08/07/2009 It would appear that the arrogance of one wretched man is likely to destroy Formula One, as the rest of us, sponsors, teams, drivers and fans look on helpless. In two brief statements - one from the FIA, the other from the teams' alliance - it was today made clear that Formula One's future can be measured in months, maybe even weeks. It is pointless to go on about the rights and wrongs for it won't change anything, for what we have - as we have said before - is a clear case of irresistible force and immovable object. Whatever one thinks of the statement issued by FOTA th...

08/07/2009 The FIA has tonight issued the following: 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 discus...

It has been a tiring and sickening few weeks as the politics of F1, especially the childish and loony attitude of FIA President Max Mosley came to a head. Fortunately, the FOTA alliance managed to pressure him to rescind the crappy and loony regulations that he likes to come up with, if not in 2010 the teams will waste even more money on loony things. But, all is not as serene as we would like to think. Assuming that Mad Max really leaves the office, who would be his replacement? Is there a suitable candidate out there? I'm sure there is an experienced administrator with experience and passion in motorsports. But will this person be allowed to govern? Or would Max rather have a stooge in place for him to govern via proxy ? The name Jean Todt has been bandied around and I for one am hoping that that is a very sick joke and that we'll get over it in the morning. Jean has been linked to Mosley many times and was from Ferrari. It would be biased (if not already) of the FIA to have ...

Phew! What a relief, at least we'll still go racing next year with everybody and most importantly, we'll be rid of Max (and hopefully his goons too). It's just too much of a dictatorship and crappy rules with Max around which really fucks up the fans, i.e. you and me. I really hope Max goes for good but he has a tendency to have his dirty coils everywhere. In fact, he is already trying to find excuses to stay on. The most important thing is FOTA have won and the sport will be run properly with the fans, teams and sponsors in mind. Hopefully, the new management will seriously look into what the fans want and what is good for the sport. What we need is a unified rules, which does not favour one team above the rest (read Ferrari), rules that does not change every 6 months, stewards that do not bend the rules to favor certain teams, outright stupid stewards with double standards and a governing body that comes out hare-brained ideas that wastes money, time and effort. We as ...

Good for who Bernie? Good for your wallet? And what about the fans who pay through the nose for tickets and merchandise? Thursday 25th June 2009 Bernie Ecclestone insists there were no winners in Wednesday's deal between FOTA and the FIA, despite the former getting pretty much everything they demanded and more. With the threat of a breakaway series on the cards, which saw Ecclestone facing the lose of his £1.5billion per year empire, the F1 supremo sat down with FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo and Max Mosley to thrash out a deal. The announcement finally came on Wednesday afternoon with Mosley informing the world that next year there will be just one Championship, it will be run under this year's regulations and that he will step down from his role of FIA President in October. But while that may seem that FOTA got everything they wanted, Ecclestone says it was a compromise and not a win/lose outcome. "No ...

YESSSS!!!! Finally, the cancer of F1 is going. 24/06/2009 FIA President Max Mosley has announced that he will not stand for re-election later this year in a move which appears to have saved F1 from imploding. The Englishman, speaking following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, also claims that a deal has been done which will result in a "unified F1" and which ends the threat of a breakaway series. "I will not be up for re-election," he told reporters, "we now have peace, there will be no split. "We have agreed to a reduction of costs," he added. "There will be one F1 championship in 2010 but the objective is still to...

Go FOTA! Monday 22nd June 2009 Brawn GP chief executive Nick Fry has warned FIA president Max Mosley that FOTA's threat of a breakaway series is not an idle one. The message comes ahead of what Fry sees as a "critical" meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris on Wednesday as they address the row that has threatened the existence of Formula One. Mosley has so far belittled certain members of FOTA - describing them as "loonies" - and derided the organisation itself, claiming it has no chance of succeeding. Mosley is also showing scant regard for the fans if he believes they would rather pay to watch a diluted version of F1 with unknown teams and drivers compared to another series that includes Ferrari, McLaren, Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso. The 69-year-old seems to think the teams will back down, but he is either miscalculating their resolve, or is foolishly misguided a...

Friday 19th June 2009 Now that FOTA have finally lost patience with the FIA there is going to be a whole host of consequences. Andrew Davies ponders the things that immediately spring to mind... * Max Mosley's bid to get teams to run on £40m a year (+ drivers + marketing) has always seemed out of touch with big money worldwide sports models. Spanish football club Real Madrid have a revenue of £290m and that's without a major showing in the Champions League. With a lot more sponsorship and global exposure, F1 has a far greater earning potential. * What seemed like a too-early bid to abandon ship by Lola cars - when they announced that they were withdrawing their F1 application midweek - seems quite a good move now. Because they can join the FOTA grid, which (providing it has all current eight teams) will be the series people will want to watch next year. * Will David Richards' ProDrive and Epsilon follow ...

Friday 19th June 2009 The Formula One Teams' Association have sensationally confirmed they are to form a breakaway series, causing the greatest upheaval in the sport's 60-year history. Following a meeting of the eight teams that currently form FOTA - Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Brawn GP, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso - they have all declined to enter F1 for 2010. Despite weeks of negotiations with FIA president Max Mosley, the two bodies have failed to find a compromise, leaving the sport in total chaos. The FIA had issued a deadline of close of business on Friday to enter next year's championship unconditionally to McLaren, Toyota, Renault, BMW Sauber and Brawn GP in particular. As far as the FIA are concerned, Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso are contracted to enter, hence the reason they were given an automatic entry by world motor sport's governing body last Friday. Ferrari h...

17/06/2009 According to Reuters , FOTA has written to the FIA in an 11th-hour bid to calm the row that threatens the future of the sport, the teams' alliance apparently offering a compromise. In a letter, sent just two days before the FIA's latest deadline, and which Reuters claims to have seen, the teams' alliance writes: "The time has come when, in the interests of the sport, we must all seek to compromise and bring an urgent conclusion to the protracted debate regarding the 2010 world championship. "We hope that you will consider that this letter represents significant movement by the teams, all of whom have clearly stated a willingness to commit to...

Friday 12th June 2009 All ten of the existing Formula One teams have been included in next year's line-up but that doesn't mean the war is over. Despite submitting conditional entries as part of the FOTA application, Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso have all been put down for next year's Championship as the FIA believe they have a binding contract with the three teams to race until 2012. Ferrari, though, have already made it clear that they won't race unless motorsport's governing body accept FOTA conditions, which including running next year's Championship under this year's regulations. So at least one battle remains there. Meanwhile, McLaren, BMW, Renault, Toyota and Brawn GP have also been included in next year's entry list, however, the FIA have urged them to drop their conditional entry before next week Friday. "These five teams have submitted conditional entries," said ...

Friday 12th June 2009 Max Mosley is facing a call to stand down as FIA president as the motor manufacturers of Europe threw their weight behind the Formula One Teams' Association. Mosley is fully expected to confirm later this month he is to stand for re-election later this year, for what would be a fifth term in office. But in the wake of his bitter battle with FOTA these past few weeks with regard to next season's regulations, his leadership is being brought into question - and not for the first time. The war with FOTA prompted an urgent board meeting of the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association, who incorporate 15 of the continent's major motor companies. The ACEA members include BMW, DAF Trucks, Daimler, FIAT, Ford of Europe, GM Europe, Jaguar Land Rover, MAN Nutzfahrzeuge, Porsche, PSA Peugeot Citroen, Renault, Scania, Toyota Motor Europe, Volvo and Volkswagen. In support of FOTA, the AC...

How can the rules be the same for everyone when Ferrari has veto rights and nobody else does? Wednesday 20th May 2009 Ferrari have made it clear that they won't hesitate to go through with their threat to pull out of Formula One so that they can "compete in races of a calibre worthy of the marque". The Maranello outfit on Wednesday lost its court application for an injunction against the FIA's controversial proposal to introduce a budget cap in next year's Championship. Ferrari, who along with Renault, Toyota and Red Bull have threatened to quit the sport, also gave the first indication that it might take part in another competition. A statement from the team read: 'If it is not possible for all parties to reach agreement, then in line with the decision of the Main Board, taken on 12th May, Ferrari will not enter its cars in a competition that, with the planned scenario in place, would see a wate...

Well said Sir jackie..woohoo! FIA and Max..up yours! Friday 15th May 2009 Never one to pass up on the chance to have a go at the FIA, Sir Jackie Stewart has slammed motorsport's governing body, saying they have "no business" telling the teams how much they can spend. Formula One is set for arguably its most important day in its history today as the Formula One Teams Assocation takes on Max Mosley. On the one side of the table Mosley and his FIA are determined to press ahead with their budget cap even though it could result in a two-tier Championship, and on the other side the teams, including Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, are threatening to leave the sport if Mosley gets his way. Stewart, a three-times F1 World Champion, has now weighed in on the debate, saying its up to each individual team - and not the FIA - to decide how much money they want to spend. "I agree that there shou...

In a recent interview with Montreal newspaper La Presse , former Canadian Grand Prix promoter Normand Legault shared his doubts regarding Formula One's economic model, insisting that it cannot survive in the real world. According to Legault, F1's majority owner CVC Capital Partners owes $240 million yearly in interest, to which must be added $300 million in capital, to pay off its $2 billion debt. The need to reimburse 540 million dollars annually created the necessity of asking Grand Prix hosts to accept $50 million fees in order to present races. "At that price, it can't be profitable (for a race organiser), no matter how they calculate profitability," stated Legault. He elaborated on the subject by citing the government-backed Australian event as an example: "The organisers, who know what they are doing, lose $40 million a year. How long can they endure that? Someone in the opposition or the population will eventually ask if it's all worth...

Former Canadian Grand Prix promoter Normand Legault believes Formula One teams should abandon the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone. The 53-year-old told the French language La Presse newspaper that FOTA, the teams' new unified alliance, is their ticket to shedding the sport's current outdated structure. Legault revealed that, shortly before the Formula One Teams Association was enacted, he made a presentation to the teams in Montreal . "I said to them 'why don't you reorganise yourselves like a North American sports league? When the (Montreal) Canadiens play the Boston Bruins, they don't ask the International Hockey Federation to referee the match.” "In the world of North American pro sports, each league has a board of governors, a commissioner and vice Presidents who manage the business. The owners of the sport manage themselves.” "The National Hockey League doesn't have to ask anyone if it wants to increase the size of the net by six ...

Friday 20th March 2009 The FIA have averted a potential row with the Formula One Teams' Association by agreeing to defer their controversial new 'winner-takes-all' system until 2010. Just two hours after FOTA voiced an official protest to the plan, whereby the driver with most race wins becomes F1 champion, motor sport's world governing body reacted swiftly. A FIA statement read: "On March 17, the FIA World Motor Sport Council unanimously rejected FOTA's proposed amendment to the points system for the Formula One Drivers' Championship. "The 'winner-takes-all' proposal made by the commercial rights holder (Bernie Ecclestone, who had been told the teams were in favour) was then approved. "If, for any reason, the Formula One teams do not now agree with the new system, its implementation will be deferred until 2010." Source : Planet F1

Thursday 5th March 2009 The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) are calling for a minor adjustment to the current point-scoring system that would see the race winner handed a greater advantage. FOTA released the results of their global audience survey on Thursday, citing five main areas that came up with F1 fans around the world. The survey revealed that spectators have no quibbles with the format of grands prix and as such do not want to see 'handicapping, sprint races, reversed grids or one-on-one pursuit races.' They also did not feel that qualifying should undergo a major overhaul and nor should pit stops be done away with. But, if refuelling is taken out of the pit stop mix, there won't be too many complaints. One for the television broadcasters is that fans reckon F1 needs to do more to become consumer-friendly, with many complaining that local broadcasters limit their F1 viewing. The fifth point...

Sunday 22nd February 2009 10. RUBENS BARRICHELLO Bad Week In the battle for Honda survival, the name of Rubens Barrichello has largely been forgotten. The man who virtually matched Jenson Button for pace in 2008 and outscored him on points isn't mentioned in dispatches any more. As the battle for Honda comes down to Branson versus Fry, Bruno Senna's money and name (and perhaps Takuma Sato's Japanese connection for Virgin Japan) is the one being bandied about. It will be sad for Barrichello to exit the sport without the fanfare he deserves. And at a time when intra-season testing looks to have been banned, the job of development driver, seems to have disappeared. 9.FOTA Good Week The telephone lines have closed, the votes have been counted and FOTA are set to reveal the results of their global F1 survey on March 5th. If you haven't already heard - it's a "vision thing". They asked you, the fan, what you wanted...