Comments on: More insight into FOTA

By: Keith Collantine

Keith Collantine — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:41:32 +0000

Dan - Actually it's four, same three as you plus Mark Kermode's film reviews...

By: DG

DG — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 07:17:07 +0000

What is worrying is that in the original announcement I saw about FOTA is that both Max and Bernie were in at the creation of the group. So its come under their jurisdiction right from the start and isn’t really that ‘independant’.
I know there has to be a certain amount of working together between the different organisations involved in the sport to make the whole thing possible, and it is what we fans do like to see.
But is FOTA, under Ferrari leadership especially, just going to become another puppy-dog for Bernie and Max to play with? I can see Teams being excluded from racing if they don’t join FOTA, and any problems with any new rules being blamed squarely on the new group.
And since Bernie has been pushing for something to bolster his appeal with CVC, and to show that he is still friendly with Max, hasn’t this come at just the right time?
I wonder if the Drivers are now going to have to regroup again, with Bernie’s support of course….

By: dan

dan — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:17:32 +0000

i was under the impression that Bernie co-owned Renault with Flavio so maybe that is why he wants a push for FOTA.

By: Paige

Paige — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:40:28 +0000

berni,

there’s absolutely no question in my mind that any claims of impartiality on the parts of the leadership of the FIA and Formula One (in other words, Max and Bernie) are complete and utter rubbish, for reasons that you state.

By: Dan Brunell

Dan Brunell — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 20:10:11 +0000

I’ve listen to the Inside Line for the last year or so and have loved it. It is usually the third race podcast I listen to behind Sidepodcast and Checkered Flag Podcast. The only thing that worries me is that Ian Phillips might run out of excuses and ways to say “we suck” by the end of the season.

If anything Force India should be commended for letting Ian to do this and for the way they treat new media. It really is a breath of fresh air.

BTW Keith: Just wondering, what are the three podcasts you listen to regularly?

By: bernification

bernification — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:16:36 +0000

I agree with Paige on this, although it’s potentially to early to call it on how effective kers will be, and how expensive.

Max has put himself in an untenable position- he can’t publically call Ferrari ‘the most important team in F1 and then oversee the rulings about the spy rows without his judgent being called into question.
(This also calls into question the buisness dealings between Bernie and Flavio)

Calling Jackie Stewart a certifiable halfwit had the F1 fraternity holding their heads in their hands!

By: michael counsell

michael counsell — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:49:06 +0000

If teams organise together they can find common ground to move the sport forward. Or every meeting turns into a huge argument.

By: Paige

Paige — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:05:38 +0000

I’m very glad that the teams have done this. Mad Max has been abusive for way too long, and the last thing that is needed is for his unworldly ego to take on full dictatorial powers over the teams. The 2009 technical regulations are a terrific example of the threat that the teams find themselves in. They’ve had four seasons now under basically one regime with technical regulations and have had time to fully adjust, and now Max has saddled all of the teams with a massive new cost to adjust to new aerodynamic regulations. Introducing KERS and slick tires is fine, and the adjustments to these won’t be too painful for the teams. (Tires aren’t much of an adjustment, and the mandate for KERS is being phased in over four seasons) But now the teams have to spend millions testing new radically new aero packages while they’re pushing themselves to compete this year.

Max Mosley was valuable to the sport in pushing for new safety innovations. Aside from this, he has been a horrible FIA chief and is a tremendously corrupt and despicable human being. A perfect example of his shenanigans is his handling of the spy rows: he threw the book at McLaren while letting Renault get away clean for doing the same thing to McLarne. While I don’t care what he does in his private life, I’m disappointed that his scandal didn’t bring him down from his position.