I've waited a while before blogging because I wanted to make sure that it wasn't all Max Mosley spin, but it seems that peace has broken out in Formula One.
It looks like both sides are trying to claim victory but the detail in the FIA statement bears a remarkable resemblance to what the teams wanted. Ferrari seem happy with the outcome and have received the assurances they wanted about future governance of the sport. I particularly liked the phrase "to avoid continuous change being decided by one person alone." Can't think who they might have meant!
On the face of it, with talk of cost reductions being phased in over two years, and next year being run on this year's regulations, it looks very much as if FOTA has triumphed. As an added bonus, it also appears that Max Mosley is going to stand down, which is fabulous news for the sport. I won't believe it until I see him walking down the Place de la Concorde (Paris HQ of the FIA) with his belongings in a cardboard box and someone else actually in the role of President, though. He's changed his mind on this so many times that it's not so much a u-turn but a spin that young Nelson Piquet Jr would be proud of.
I'm glad that all the major players are now committed to the sport for at least another 3 years. A FOTA breakaway could have worked, but it's better that things are resolved. Mind you, the FOTA draft timetable leaked the other day had favourite circuits like Adelaide, Suzuka and Imola on it, as well as taking Monaco off F1 and having a race in Helsinki. Whether this was someone's wish list on the back of an envelope or a serious timetable we'll never know, but maybe Bernie should have a look at it in more detail.
Let's hope that the only ferocious fights we have for the next wee while are on the track as the focus shifts back to what's important - the racing.
2 comments:
Max was always intending to retire at the end of his current term - the threat to stay on was just a tactical one he made at the weekend to get the teams to give Bernie what he wanted. That's why he was calling them idiots at Silverstone, too, to make the prospect of him staying on look like a bad one. It was obvious from the interview that he was much too calm to actually mean what he was saying - he was just giving Bernie the bargaining chip he needed. And costs are going to be reduced to the level the FIA wanted, too, just over two years rather than one. I'm amazed that the teams keep falling for such transparent tactics (but pleased, in this particular instance, since I thought the FIA was right on this one).
Well it's just good it's all over -but I do think the teams have got exactly what they wanted out of it. I think it could all have been avoided if Max had been more accommodating earlier on.
I don't think Max needed to make the prospect of him staying on look bad - the FIA might be behind him, but very few others in F1 thought his style was healthy.
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