FIA – World Motor Sport Council

The World Motor Sport Council met in Paris on 24 June 2009. The following decisions were taken:

FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

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

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

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.

09-Jun-09: FIA and FOTA Make Small Steps Forward

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It is the 9th June 2009 and this is your daily F1 Minute.

More politics for you today, I’m afraid, starting with a letter from the FIA to FOTA that we found out about yesterday. Autosport reported that Max Mosley had written to the teams, suggesting that if they removed the conditions for their entry for 2010, they could help to shape the future regulations. He handed them another deadline, by close of play today, for them to respond and agree to the budget caps, citing that the best way to move forward is for everyone to be under the same regulations and to all agree to the modifications as they progress.

We have not heard from FOTA today, but they did reply to Max, and an FIA spokesperson would only reveal: “The FIA has received a letter and various attachments from FOTA, the contents of which are not entirely negative, and we are currently examining the details.”

So, we are still left wondering.

That’ll do for now, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

FOTA – Press Release

All FOTA Teams have today submitted conditional entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship.

FOTA confirms all its Members’ long-term commitment to be involved in the FIA Formula One World Championship and has unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the Championship in the next three years, creating a mechanism that will preserve the technological competition and the sporting challenge and, at the same time, facilitate the entry in the F1 Championship for new Teams. These measures are in line with what has been already decided in 2009 within FOTA, achieving important savings on engines and gearboxes.

All FOTA teams have entered the 2010 championship on the basis that:

1. The Concorde Agreement is signed by all parties before 12th June 2009, after which all FOTA teams will commit to competing in Formula One until 2012. The renewal of the Concorde Agreement will provide security for the future of the sport by binding all parties in a formal relationship that will ensure stability via sound governance.
2. The basis of the 2010 regulations will be the current 2009 regulations, amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA.

All FOTA teams’ entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One Season on an identical regulatory basis and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole.

All FOTA teams now look forward with optimism to collaborating proactively and productively with the FIA, with a view to establishing a solid foundation on which the future of a healthy and successful Formula One can be built, providing lasting stability and sound governance.

28-May-09: FOTA Offer Stepped Budget Suggestion

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It’s the 28th May 2009, welcome to F1 Minute.

After FOTA got together yesterday to discuss the future, and suspended Williams from the association in the process, Autosport is reporting that they’ve decided the best way forward is a stepped approach to the budget caps. Instead of dropping straight down to 40 million in the first year, they suggest 100 million Euros next year, then 45 million in 2011. They also think that increasing technical partnerships with the new teams will help ease the FIA’s plans to encourage entrants for next year.

The next step is to present it to the FIA and see if a compromise can be agreed.

Elsewhere, Sebastian Vettel has been awarded the Lorenzo Bandini trophy this year for his impressive performance in 2008. Last year, the prize went to Robert Kubica, who drove 12 kilometres to collect the trophy in an F1 car. It looks as though Vettel will repeat the feat in the STR3.

That’s all for today, please join me again tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

22-May-09: FOTA United Against 2010 Regulations

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This is F1 Minute for the 22nd May 2009.

Luca di Montezemolo has spoken out following a meeting of FOTA aboard Flavio Briatore’s yacht, which most of the team principals attended. Luca says that the association are united in the fact that they will not enter the 2010 championship if the regulations remain the same. He said: “We have to discuss about the possibility to change the situation in a constructive way, but in a very clear way. Because we want Formula 1, we don’t want something different.” He didn’t rule out the teams boycotting next year though.

Meanwhile, Max Mosley let slip some details about the meeting at Heathrow last week, in the hopes that their next meeting will be better. He said: “It’s a pity that two teams did not want to discuss compromise last Friday in London. They kept trying to get the other teams to walk out. I hope that with Luca present things will be more constructive this time.”

Thankfully, we’ll be back to talking about the racing again tomorrow.

That’s it for now, please join me next time for another F1 Minute.

16-May-09: Two Potential New Teams Confirm Entry Plans

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This is F1 Minute and it’s the 16th May.

Yesterday, we found out about two teams that are possibly making their way into F1. We reported earlier that Lola were looking at re-entering the sport, and following a detailed analysis of the costs and benefits of doing so, the team have confirmed that they’ll go ahead with attempting an entry.

Also, Formula 3 team Litespeed has teamed up with Mike Gascoyne to apply for the 2010 season, and confirmed that they were hoping to have enough time to prepare to race next year. Both of these potential entries rely on the fact that the FIA budget cap regulations will remain in place, which of course, the current teams are now urgently discussing.

Meanwhile, there is further unrest in France, as a whole host of tractors drove the streets outside of Paris, today, in an attempt to protest the new circuit for the French Grand Prix. The residents argue that the area is too populated to host an F1 event.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

15-May-09: No Budget Cap Compromise Reached Yet

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 15th May 2009.

One day we’ll have an F1 Minute without the words budget cap in them, but this is not that day. The FIA and FOTA met today at Heathrow to discuss the problems with the 2010 regulations. Luca di Montezemolo was unable to go due to the death of his father, so Stefano Domenicali went in his place. Max Mosley summed it up best after the meeting, saying: “It was quite a friendly meeting, but in the end all that happened was that the teams have gone off to see if they can come up with something better than the cost cap.”

The two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, with the FIA unwilling to budge on the budget cap figure. At the same time, though, Ferrari started legal proceedings against the FIA in France, suggesting that the governing body are going against the veto the team has against any new regulations. The veto was put in place in 1998. The saga continues.

That’s it for today, I’ll be back tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

Not Going Anywhere in a Hurry

Heikki Kovalainen behind the wheel of the MP4-24. Amidst the cries from manufacturers that they’ll boycott the sport in 2010 if the budget caps go ahead, Mercedes-Benz have confirmed that it’s not even on their minds right now. Mercedes power three teams on the grid this year, and will therefore be a big part of 2010 as well.

Credit: Daimler AG

Renault Cast Shadow Over F1 Future

Fernando Alonso in the R29 during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. Renault confirmed today that they were joining the teams who have already threatened to boycott the 2010 season. Ferrari are still the most high-profile pull out, though, with reaction continuing from their statement yesterday.

Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Renault and ING Renault F1 Team Statement

There is frustration that FOTA’s constructive proposals, including major cost saving measures to be adopted progressively between 2009 and 2012, which were carefully constructed by FOTA members, have been completely ignored without any form of consultation by the FIA with the teams.

It should be stressed that FOTA has set the same, if not lower, financial objective as the FIA, but Renault strongly believes that this must be introduced through a different procedure agreed by all parties.

Renault also believes that it is paramount that the governance of the sport is coordinated with a spirit of consultation with all parties (FIA, FOM, FOTA) in order to achieve a better balance between the costs and the revenues. Renault is also of the firm view that all entrants in the World Championship must adhere to and operate under the same regulations.

President of the ING Renault F1 Team, Bernard Rey, commented: “Renault has always considered Formula One as the pinnacle of motor sport and the perfect stage to demonstrate technical excellence. We remain committed to the sport, however we cannot be involved in a championship operating with different sets of rules, and if such rules are put into effect, we will be forced to pull out at the end of this season.”

ING Renault F1 Team Managing Director, Flavio Briatore, commented: “Our aim is to reduce costs while maintaining the high standards that make Formula One one of the most prestigious brands on the market. We want to achieve this in a coordinated manner with the regulatory and commercial bodies, and we refuse to accept unilateral governance handed out by the FIA. If the decisions announced by the World Council on the 29th of April 2009 are not revised, we have no choice but to withdraw from the FIA Formula One World Championship at the end of 2009.”

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