F1 links: Ecclestone vows to protect F1

Posted on

| Written by

After spending the weekend at Silverstone I’ve had a lot of catching up to do with the F1 news.

Obviously the big story at the moment continues to be the developments in the FIA-FOTA row. The teams remain resolute in their insistence that they will form a breakaway championship. But is it all just a tactic to encourage a coup against Max Mosley within the FIA when the World Motor Sports Council meets on Wednesday?

Bernie Ecclestone, meanwhile, has said he will make sure that F1 continues to exist. Whether that means he will prevent a split from happening, or let it go ahead and then pick whichever one he considers to be the best bet to have the name ‘Formula 1’ applied to it, remains to be seen.

Bernie Ecclestone: I won’t let Formula One destroy itself

Bernie Ecclestone: “I have given 35 years of my life and more to Formula One. My marriage broke up because of Formula One, so I am sure as hell not going to let things disintegrate over what is, in the end, basically nothing. If you analyse the problems, there aren’t any that can’t be easily solved.”

FOTA: The fans are on our side

"My impression is that if you look at the overwhelming support from the public, ultimately there has to be a significant move from the federation."

Briatore: Time for deal has passed

Flavio Briatore: "Max is going personal all the time. I'm too much of a gentleman to go personal. If he wants to go personal, I have a lot to say about Max. I know. He needs to stop insulting people."

Mosley in reverse gear over legal threat

"Sources within the paddock suggest that Mosley's sudden reappearance may have been motivated by a desire to seek a quick resolution to Formula One's problems – which some attribute to his style of management – because he has got wind of a possible coup at the FIA's World Motor Sport Council meeting in Paris on Wednesday."

FOTA prepares new series, will Dennis get involved?

"We are in a phoney war period now. There will be claims and rumours swirling around as each side looks to exploit the other’s weak points. Rumours of Mosley dropping the legal action against FOTA came out of an interview he did on Sky Italia yesterday. (Ferrari is certainly not dropping its arbitration against the FIA in Lausanne, which started last Monday)."

Gillett hints at Donington get-out clause if F1 splits

Simon Gillett: “There are elements that certain things have to arrive on my grid. and if they don't I would have the right to a discussion with Bernie. It (the FIA/FOTA budget cap stand-off) causes us a little bit of a slow-down, potentially, but the people we're dealing with are intelligent people. They read the news and see it for what it is."

BMW revise front wing, again

"The updates include a new endplate which is slightly bent, allow a little more air to be accellerated under the front wing rather than pushed around the front wheels. Aside of the front wing adjuster, the fixed panels have also been revised, now featuring a curvature of the lower element."

Another new diffuser for the Red Bull

"It was only back in Monaco that Red Bull introduced its revised package aimed to benefit from a new double decker diffuser, and now again the RB5 is fitted with an update. The element is possibly as good an improvement as the original DDD was."

Q & A with Adrian Newey

Adrian Newey: "We feel we are in the same position as Brawn. I think this circuit has suited us very well, and equally it hasn't suited the Brawn. So it hasn't been a normal weekend – we shall see."

USF1 evaluating Danica Patrick

Peter Windsor: "We're getting near to the point where we start looking at drivers and Danica is on our list for sure, because she's the best-placed American in the leading single-seater championship of the United States."

Lewis Hamilton ticked off for spinning car at Silverstone

Martin Whitmarsh on Lewis Hamilton's performance at the end of the British Grand Prix: "He gave an exuberant performance on the slowing down lap which was not necessarily a good thing for the engine or the gearbox which we need to use again. But I am sure the people down at Stowe and Copse appreciated it."

F1 war helps autosport.com to record-breaking day

"More than 130,000 unique users (individual visitors) visited autosport.com after it broke news of the rebel Formula One racing teams’ intentions just before midnight on Thursday. A team source dragged Jonathan Noble, Autosport group F1 editor, out of bed to tip him off about the story on the eve of the British Grand Prix." Congratulations to Autosport!

Q & A with Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton: "When you look back at the history of the sport, you see that there are four special circuits in Formula 1 – Monaco, Monza, Spa and Silverstone. I was at the BRDC clubhouse the other day and I was looking at some old pictures of past Silverstone race drivers – there were shots of Fangio, Jim Clark, Sir Jackie Stewart, Graham Hill plus many more. So to race at Silverstone, it has an extra meaning – Copse is still pretty much the same now as it was when the race was held here in the 1950s. All the corners have names rather than numbers, and names that have a meaning. To have won here, as at Monaco, has an extra significance and importance. I will always remember the crowd's reaction when I took pole here in 2007, I could hear them cheering above the noise of the engine on my slow-down lap, and also winning here last year and jumping up onto the podium. But I just have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of this place. I hope so, anyway."

At last, Sebastian Vettel has turned the 2009 F1 season into a two-horse race

"For any partisan Brits who are reading this, I prefer not to see one driver dominate the championship. Just because he hails from these shores and began the year as more of a ten-foot-underdog than a mere unfancied runner, it doesn't mean we should all jump out of our socks when he takes the chequered flag every other weekend."

These are links I’ve bookmarked using Delicious. You can see my Delicious profile here.

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

Got a potential story, tip or enquiry? Find out more about RaceFans and contact us here.

14 comments on “F1 links: Ecclestone vows to protect F1”

    1. interesting

    2. What credit crunch?!! these figures tell us that there is a lot of dosh at stake, I don’t see Bernie needing anymore, although his family may disagree, but I would like to see Fota make their decision, leave or stay, get the obligatory court actions out of the way, get rid of the indecision, and get back to RACING, if there is two championships, cool, it will give all motorsport fans more to watch, however, will the new c’ship be pay-per-view? and will it turn into a formula dominated by the richest team? Motorsport fans may find that the only way they can watch one of the c’ships is too expensive, and vote with the remote, Setanta got DTM, and went bust, which could be a message to any potential spin-off. If there are two c’ships essentially using the same car, how exciting would the new one be with all the new teams, and how embarassing would it be to a breakaway series if the old series produced exciting cars, AND close RACING?

  1. Ugh, If Danica Patrick goes to USF1, I’ll actively cheer against them every week.

    1. Why is that?

  2. Don’t hold your breath

  3. Well if what Simon Gillett says about his get out clause is correct then i would immensely surprised if other entities involved in F1, Teams,Drivers,Circuits,Tv Stations etc. didn’t have their own versions of a get out clause in their contracts.

    Maybe a breakaway won’t be as hard to organise as most first thought. And if a breakaway is happening for sure and no compromise with FIA forthcoming then i hope the breakaway gets all the best parts of F1. That means no Max Mosley , or any other FIA representative who might be just as bad, and no Bernie Ecclestone.

  4. Lewis Hamilton ticked off for spinning car at Silverstone

    give me a break. he should be commended for giving the fans 1 stupid thing to cheer for. if the car breaks, blessing in disguise.

  5. If they were to give Valentino Rossi a ticking off for every time he pulls a stunt after a race, then that would be EVERY race, get a grip Silverstone stewards…

  6. Which version of F1 is Bernie vowing to protect? His version, Max’s version, FOTA’s version or the Fan’s version?

  7. Bigbadderboom
    23rd June 2009, 10:00

    FOTA’s position seems to be strengthening, I still hope the FIA back down Wednesday or at least get pressured from WMSC to act to save the sport.
    I’m not sure how Ferrari are listed as a more expensive sports property than F1!

    1. ConcedoNulli
      23rd June 2009, 17:19

      I’m not sure whether FIA, FOM or FOTA are the knights in shining armour to save F1. All are power crazed, money grabbing [expetive deleted :)]. the only truth is that none of them care about the fans. How much does a weekend grandstand seat cost at Silverstone – I couldn’t afford to go for the last 10 years – thanks Bernie/BRDC. Team merchandising is extortionate – that’s how much the teams care about their fans!

      Sorry for the rant

  8. No big surprise but Mosley has said he is standing for re-election again

    http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76485

  9. At least Hamilton’s car was good for something(donuts),it damn sure isn’t any good for racing!

    Danica Patrick will not be competitive in F1,if USF1 signs her it would be nothing but a promotional stunt to attract attention to the new team.I hope to save us Americans from any further embarrassment(see:Scott Speed),they will hire better drivers.

    …and finally Flavio has something to say that we can all agree with….Max has the most twisted personal life of anyone in F1,no need to sling mud when you know it’s coming right back at ya!

Comments are closed.