The latest breakdown in talks between the FIA and FOTA has again placed a question mark over the future of a number of the current teams.
Motor sport’s world governing body has today issued another damning statement against the Formula One Teams’ Association after a meeting yesterday between the relevant financial groups resulted in deadlock.
The statement read: “As agreed at the meeting of 11 June (between FIA president Max Mosley and FOTA), FIA financial experts met yesterday with financial experts from FOTA. “
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“Unfortunately, the FOTA representatives announced that they had no mandate to discuss the FIA’s 2010 financial regulations. Indeed, they were not prepared to discuss regulation at all.”
“As a result, the meeting could not achieve its purpose of comparing the FIA’s rules with the FOTA proposals with a view to finding a common position.” Daily Mail
Giving a detailed account of its dealings with FOTA, the governing body claimed the teams’ alliance was seeking to neuter it and “expropriate” the sport’s commercial rights.
“The FIA and FOM have together spent decades building the FIA Formula One World Championship into the most watched motor sport competition in history,” the statement said.
“In light of the success of the FIA’s Championship, FOTA – made up of participants who come and go as it suits them – has set itself two clear objectives: to take over the regulation of Formula One from the FIA and to expropriate the commercial rights for itself.
“These are not objectives which the FIA can accept.”
In support of its claims about FOTA’s agenda the FIA cited the conditions the members of the teams’ organisation attached to their 2010 entries, which the governing body said would strip it of its established prerogatives.
“Among the conditions were a requirement that the FIA forthwith sign FOTA’s new Concorde Agreement (which diluted the Sporting Code, made an outside body, the CAS, the ultimate appeal court, allowed any team to veto rule changes and removed the FIA’s right to insist on changes if the cars became dangerously fast),” the FIA said.
“FOTA also crossed out references to the International Sporting Code on their entry forms and wanted the 2010 rules rescinded notwithstanding that a number of new teams had already submitted entries.”
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Finally, the FIA claimed it had always been prepared to compromise provided its authority as the sport’s governing body was recognised.
“The FIA remains committed to finding solutions for Formula 1 and has always been ready to accept reasonable compromise whilst retaining the overall principle that it will continue to lead and regulate the sport for the benefit of all stakeholders,” it said.
“Formula 1 will have a full grid in 2010 with a single set of regulations.
“It is essential that these include clear and precise financial regulations.” ITV
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