Sunday, May 17, 2009

F1 in Trouble

Formula 1 as we know it is in serious trouble. The FIA's decision to alter the rules for next year has not been taken too kindly by most of the current constructors. Some of the changes set by Max Mosley, the president of FIA, include a budget cap for each team to £40 million per year. Teams that agree to it will receive greater technical freedom. This budget cap does not include the drivers' salaries or the cost for engines. The primary technical freedoms the teams get to enjoy includes movable wings, both front and rear, and an engine which will not be subjected to minimum revs. These teams will also enjoy unlimited off-season testing. They will even receive free transportation for 2 chassis and freight up to 10,000kg and 20 free air tickets for economy class. This basically means we will end up with two different sets of rules for the teams. One for those who agree to these terms and another for those that opt out. Those richer teams that can afford to spent more will indeed be severely restricted by these rules. It's basically a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't! Right now Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone, F1 commercial rights holder, are playing good cop bad cop with the teams. Where one makes ridiculous threats, the other tries to smooth things down. This new rules will create a very uneven playing field to the teams. When actually the whole reason the FIA say they are doing it is to make the teams challenge on even par. Not that it is any more fair now, since the richer teams do always end up at the top, and the weaker ones last maybe a couple of races before they give up too. But to have a two tier system kinds of makes a real mess of it all. Needless to say some of the teams are furious. Ferrari is leading them in a all out war against these rulings. Team Renault, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are among the others. In fact Ferrari has just launched a legal challenge against the FIA. These teams have also threatened to quit F1 if things don't came to an agreement. It's not that surprising to notice that Mclaren are keeping very hush about the whole thing. I guess after the 'liegate' incident, they know better then to stir up the hornets nest. You might remember they got away very lightly with that one. I can't say I care too much about the other teams, but F1 without Ferrari is no longer F1! They have in fact been a part of Formula 1 since its inception since 1950. The plan by Max Mosley is also to bring in new teams. British car makers Lola have already submitted their entry for next years race. That would mean the target, set by Mosley, of having 13 teams next year, instead of the 12 we have now, would be met. There are also a couple of other teams that are showing interest. But really what's the point when the greatest team in F1 history is not participating. Yes, I would like to see a minnow team like Force India making it to the podium. But I'd like to see them doing it against the Scuderia Ferrari, or any of the top teams for that matter. We watch Formula 1 to see the greatest teams in the world, spending whatever money they want, to make the most powerful cars they can, go as fast as it's possibly imaginable! Anything less, is not Formula 1.

Or they might as well be 'driving' around in this.

To read more of the new rules, go to: £40 million budget cap and 13 teams for 2010

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