Dennis: Teams will not be dictated to

Eurosport - Tue, 21 Oct 13:02:00 2008

Formula One teams are united in seeking to cut costs but they will not be dictated to, McLaren boss Ron Dennis has said ahead of a meeting with the sport's governing body on Tuesday.

FORMULA 1 Ron Dennis McLaren 08 - 0

The Briton was disappointed that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) had pre-empted the meeting by announcing last week that it intended to change the rules to force teams to use a standard engine from 2010.

The teams met late into Saturday night at the Chinese Grand Prix so they would be able to present unanimously agreed cost-cutting proposals at the meeting with FIA president Max Mosley in Geneva.

"That document was going to go forward on Tuesday and we were disappointed to agree a timing and then be given a concept that was obviously quite radical," the McLaren team principal said.

"I take great exception to being portrayed as people who can't look after their own destinies and need to be told what they're going to do. It's not the way forward because it brings out the worst in people, not the best in people.

"We embrace all ideas but ultimately the team feels strongly that if they have a unanimous agreement on the direction they wish to go ... they should have a very strong right for our opinions and wishes to be taken into consideration."

Dennis said that getting unanimity among the fiercely competitive teams had not been easy in the past but the worsening economic climate had focused minds.

"The situation facing Formula One at the moment can only temper those who were once intransigent, they've become far more flexible looking at the bigger picture," he said.

"I think that applies to the smaller teams, they have to move towards the centre, the bigger teams have to move towards the centre."

The FIA has argued that the costs of Formula One are unsustainable given the current economic situation and must be slashed to ensure none of the 10 teams leave the sport.

Independent teams such as Toro Rosso and Force India, who do not produce engines, welcomed the FIA's position but the car manufacturers - McLaren's partners Mercedes, Ferrari, Renault, BMW, Honda and Toyota - are less keen on it.

Dennis described the newly-formed Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) as "critical" to the future of the sport but said other stakeholders should not be concerned.

"We are strong and together but not a threat, we are looking to be constructive to Formula One," he said.

"We don't have any motive but to address the issues we had six months ago and the issues that we now have starting to emerge from a very difficult economic situation which has yet to really impact on Formula One."

Reuters

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  1. stivsf1: you obviously are ANOTHER angry Ferrari fan.­ Please type in readable English. Your grammer and­ spelling are attrocious. It's not for me to name­ the drivers that should steward the races now is it? To­ be honest, I don't want to start a debate and get­ you poor Ferrari fans all annoyed with the thought of­ you losing the FIA's valuable­ "assistance" so really don't care who­ they are. Here's a selection off the top of my head­ Schumi, Mika, DC, Hill, Prost. I'm not the only one­ as majority of drivers are calling for the same thing­ and it's the only way forward as this year has been­ a disgrace. The decisions from the FIA are not­ "insinuation" they are FACT and any sensible­ F1 can see it. Ferrari have not had one bad decision­ all year....fact!
    Now, away and argue with your wife or­ something. You haven't made ONE comment about F1­ itself in here, not ONE. All you have done is act like­ a spoilt little @#$% and called people names. What a­ sad little man you are! What's the matter do you­ not know enough about F1 to have a decent and­ intelligent point?

    From crispyduck, on Mon 20 Oct 7:55PM

  2. POST 51# - Are you Mad ??

    If Mclaren Had Been Thrown­ out of F1 - Who would watch it anymore ??

    ok - half of­ italy and the ferrari fans worldwide !!!

    TRUTH IS -­ Mclaren Threatend to walk as it was / and other teams­ would have followed

    From MC A, on Mon 20 Oct 7:39PM
  3. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    ARROGANCE have no limits, R.D should keep in mind that­ its only thanks to B.E that he and his team are still­ in FI and that he is able to be the only one of the­ team bosses to show how great he is

    From stivsf1, on Mon 20 Oct 7:27PM

  4. Eamon - I don't think I've seen postings from­ you before, I would remember your logical straight­ thinking ideas. Your comment is inspired. Sadly, under­ present rulers, it is not going to happen. Generating­ vast sums of money for a very small number of people is­ all thats important now.

    From Say no to FIA, on Mon 20 Oct 7:17PM

  5. Ecclestone and mosely are trying to bring back the­ seventies where a team like hesketh could bolt on a­ cosworth dfv and go racing and even win with a good­ driver. They're going about it the wrong way. They­ should restructure the constructors championship to a­ team championship and allow, and actively encourage,­ more open technology sharing. This would increase the­ cars chances of competing with the big teams.

    From makosifan, on Mon 20 Oct 6:58PM

  6. Why not have Micheal Shumacher as one of the drivers he­ knows all about whats against the rules on the track,­ in fact If ex drivers were to be appionted as stewards­ I bet it would be say ones who used to race for a­ certain team in "red" ?????

    From c7972, on Mon 20 Oct 6:57PM

  7. Thank you Bernie for starting this most enjoyable and­ hugely captivating spectacle which has grown to be F1,­ however most true fans will now say its time to hang up­ your socks and take that Bum bandit out of this­ beautifull sport, because now you are both destroying­ very quickly what was only a short time ago "The­ Sport of Princes" as always money has become the­ God of lust, of show prestige, you have made your pile,­ take it and enjoy it, before you are both destroyed by­ your egotism and greed.

    From Tony M, on Mon 20 Oct 6:56PM

  8. Maybe its time to use "Wankel" engines just­ like the stewards and the administration ?????????

    From c7972, on Mon 20 Oct 6:51PM

  9. goodbye to f1.the sport will lost it's­ entertainment bcoz of the new rule.

    From Zero, on Mon 20 Oct 6:48PM

  10. CLIPSYDUCK [37] its rubbish-hatred and insinuations all­ you can write why haven’t you named your 3 preferred ex­ drivers

    From stivsf1, on Mon 20 Oct 6:39PM

  11. one engine fits all, MAX WILL WHIP THEM INTO SHAPE, or­ destroy the sport

    From I TYSON, on Mon 20 Oct 6:36PM

  12. have the rules changed to allow a team mate to pass to­ gain to points ? does anyone know !

    From I TYSON, on Mon 20 Oct 6:25PM

  13. The F1 teams only have them selves to blame, they have­ allowed Mosley and Ecclestone to take the sport by the­ short hairs. With Mosley and Ecclestone running the­ show and Ecclestone having a personal financial­ interest in most of the tracks now used by F1, they­ have become so arrogant they think they can do what hey­ want with F1. I can't see the manufacturers using a­ competitors engine, which taking into account the­ personal closeness of Mosley and Ecclestone to a­ particular Italian brand would without doubt win any­ tender. Can you honestly see Toyota, Honda, BMW,­ Renault and Mercedes all running a Ferrari engine? They­ would all leave and put their considerable finances­ into something else. The only winners would be Mosley­ and Ecclestone who you can bet have feathered their own­ personal nests very nicely, whether F1 survives or not­ they would be ok. If it wasn't for the different­ manufacturers being involved F1 would have died years­ ago.

    From scarygeezer, on Mon 20 Oct 6:20PM

  14. The world gone mad!

    From AndJustice4All, on Mon 20 Oct 6:09PM

  15. It's the way the FIA do things that is so annoying.­ The meeting with the teams is coming up soon but the­ FIA make this announcement before and you can only­ guess why? Well we all know it's to put pressure­ on the teams to come up with something on cost-cutting­ - a stupid idea anyway. I recall a few seasons ago (pre­ Schumi at Ferrari) when the Ferrari boss was earning­ more in a year than the whole of the budget of one of­ the other teams, who at the time had more points than­ Ferrari. Whatever you do to cut costs the likes of­ Ferrari will circumvent it in some way. This is just a­ sop to the small teams no-one in the FIA will really do­ something that achieves any cost-cutting. I agree with­ dogbiscuit2001 (snappy name that) the FIA need F1 more­ than the other way around. Nowadays there are big­ manufacturers involved. Why don't they get together­ (less Ferrari of course) and come up with their own­ racing series and then announce it to the world before­ they annouce it to the FIA.

    From BigBill, on Mon 20 Oct 6:01PM

  16. They seem to forget what makes F1 the sport that it is,­ is the Danger,The Noise, the Speed, the smell of the­ Castrol R if you are at the track. The Pit babes, The­ Celebs the whole nine yards. To take all that away so­ it becomes glorified A1GP.Its high Time FOTA tells the­ FIA to sling their hook and go and do they own Thing.­ Without F1 the FIA would about as much use as a jock­ strap in a convent.

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 5:51PM

  17. I think it's time Max Mosley resigned and­ disappered from F1. His recent personal scandal on top­ of what a shambles he has made with the stewarding­ situation by appointing a person with NO experience AT­ ALL in racing in ANY WAY and also with proven business­ ties to Ferrari and therefore not someone with any­ impartiality have put his position in real doubt. He is­ killing F1 with his ideas and quite frankly, his ego.­ His latest "look at me everybody" idea of one­ engine would be the death of F1 and everybody apart­ from him sees it.
    Max has got way too much power and­ say in the sport and needs to go. F1 can't afford­ another pro Ferrari season from it's stewards. They­ have made a joke of the sport already.
    Stewards must be­ made up of 2-3 ex-drivers from different teams. Only­ they can understand fully what goes on and can make a­ judgement on rulings as they happen as only they have­ that experience.
    Do us all a favour Max and resign­ NOW!

    From crispyduck, on Mon 20 Oct 5:47PM

  18. A few less silly rules would save a fortune on team­ costs. The teams should be able to build whatever type­ of car they wish providing it is open wheeled and­ weighs 600 kg with driver and the fia could supply the­ teams with 200 litres of fuel for each race. They­ should also appoint race stewards to attend all the­ races including an experienced F1 driver who could rule­ on what was fair and what was foul that might get a­ level playing field back for all the drivers a driver­ should not have to worry about getting a penalty for­ overtaking cleanly also ferrari should be subject to­ the same rules as everyone else not have them made up­ to suit them

    From charliecameronclassic, on Mon 20 Oct 5:38PM

  19. chtech06

    Ok Mate you may have a point but it may just­ be 6 of one and half dozen of the other

    From Cliffe, on Mon 20 Oct 5:31PM

  20. Well Dogbiscuit I think Bernie needs Max so that he can­ stand on his shoulders when he wants to speak with his­ wife, also I think Max does the translations during­ such marital intercourse.

    From grant b, on Mon 20 Oct 5:22PM
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