Gray Matter: Will the new F1 survive?

Eurosport - Fri, 26 Jun 21:28:00 2009

So Formula One has been saved but what chance does a new governance, new teams and a new positive approach have of lasting the test of time?

FORMULA 1 2009 Mosley - 0

Last week F1 was in ruins, facing an inevitable split with the big-spending manufacturers in FOTA going one way and the governing body, the FIA, taking them on in head-to-head competition with a budget-cap concept, a few back-of-the-grid teams and a bunch of eager new outfits.

That, of course, would never have happened, although few expected things to be resolved so quickly.

From the buzz in the Silverstone paddock it was clear that most people believed the teams would never go through with the split but with former Jaguar boss turned FIA advisor Tony Purnell scurrying around the motorhomes trying to make peace it seemed some big conversations still had to be had before a solution was found.

It appears, then, that Bernie Ecclestone worked miracles to put heads together and secure a quick-fire solution that has saved F1 from further scrutiny - and further embarrassment - having decided that any remaining respect the sport had to be rescued before it was all too late and fans started to walk away.

But what solution do we really have?

Well, Max Mosley (pictured) seems to think he has won, and so too do the teams. A resolution, then? An agreement to please them all? Mosley is happy to have drawn new teams into the sport and the teams are happy that they can still have free and unmonitored spending while promising to kerb it back to early 1990s levels, however that may be determined.

All seems ideal for everyone, then - but perhaps not so ideal if you are one of the three new teams drawn into the sport on the promise of an original $40m budget cap and now still committed to enter next year under a different outlook entirely.

Placing new teams on a level playing field with the current teams would have given them a chance to bed in and be competitive - but what chance do Manor, Campos Meta and USF1 have now of taking on the big boys? Yes, they have been promised 'technical assistance' by the FOTA teams, but what exactly that assistance will be remains currently unclear.

And so what Formula One is now likely to have for 2010 is exactly what it had for this season but with three new backmarker teams getting in the way of the front runners.

Of course, these new teams could spring a surprise and do a 'Red Bull' (Brawn had Honda money, so do not count as a privateer-come-good team) but the difference is Red Bull pounced on the opportunity of a new set of regulations - and with the rules staying the same for 2010 that will give the current teams a massive head start on the newcomers.

The 'new' Formula One, then, is set to stand or fall on whether the technical help offered to new teams is significant enough to ease their financial burden and reduce the advantage of the big teams, whether the manufacturers truly do pursue the apparently voluntary push for cost cutting and whether the global economic gloom turns around quickly enough to give new teams a hope of securing commercial backing.

If those things do not happen, though, the political wrangling that has blackened Formula One's name could, save for the FOTA teams' success in their thinly veiled bid to depose Mosley, have all been in vain.

Award-winning sports journalist Will Gray has worked in and around Formula One for more than a decade, providing detailed technical insight as well as live news reports and features for newspapers such as the Daily Telegraph and Daily Star, AFP and Reuters news agencies and a variety of magazines. He has also worked as an F1 expert on TalkSPORT and Irish radio.

Will Gray / Eurosport

Comment 79 - 98 of 98

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  1. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    What a super stupid one he is,the one always holding­ the hand set to his ear,Those he pretend to be managing­ the White House with that hand set?

    From stivsf1, on Sun 28 Jun 7:33AM

  2. Totally agree. SOB_SCUNNER….With the dictator consigned­ to history. F1 one still has one more thing to do to­ get its house in order. Sack Alan Donnelly, the Mosley­ bagman/lapdog who¬ has contributed immensely to the­ current situation

    From JAYANTILAL, on Sat 27 Jun 9:24PM
  3. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Another instance of Yahoos stupidity, forced me to­ split this post & wont allow the other half—NO foul­ language NO rudeness??????

    From Walking quiet, on Sat 27 Jun 4:58AM
  4. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Ape...Just look at the FIA members list and tell me.­ Why, many of these countries, who have less automobile­ owners than a Sunday Feild Hockey attendance, should­ have the same voting power as USA, UK, Germany, France­ etc...

    From Walking quiet, on Sat 27 Jun 4:52AM

  5. Hello Nick Rees that stuff you just wrote about Mad Max­ applies equally to you muppet.

    From Shadow, on Fri 26 Jun 9:10PM
  6. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    What a plonker ~ A PROMISE from mad maxpervert ­ wrinkled OAP is as good as ~~""A STAB IN THE­ BACK ""

    No interests beyond HIMSELF

    From pitcrew66, on Fri 26 Jun 8:35PM
  7. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    2.In a few years everybody will say , Max was right­ with­ that budget cap , a pity that the Fota donkeys­ followed­ Ferrari again, they had the chance to play on­ a level­ field ,but Ferrari is going to outspend or­ trick the­ others one way or another again . ­­ Formula-Ferrari-and-7 donkeys., and slowly the donkeys­­ will go home the coming years.

    From Ape, on Fri 26 Jun 7:53PM
  8. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    Walking what for nonsense is that , you wrote. Are you­ drunk or ..........

    From Ape, on Fri 26 Jun 7:51PM

  9. Appealing to the FIA to do the “Right Thing” is a waste­ of time.
    Herr Mosley has made his position in FIA­ unassailable. He CONTROLS a huge majority of the votes,­ with votes bought from people who have never seen, and­ have no interest in F1, some of these "Phantom­ Voters" own the ONLY motorized vehicle in the­ locale. yet they get the same vote as Germany, UK, USA­ etc
    In a fair FIA, the President would be elected or­ ousted by representatives of the major motoring­ organisations from each nation. Not just those nations­ who host a GP but any nation with a sound motoring­ public and organisation similar to the “RAC”­ "ADAC" or “AAA”.
    No representative should be­ paid by the FIA. This way the RAMPANT bribery prevalent­ in Mosley’s FIA would be eliminated.
    Each­ representative’s salary should be paid by his or her­ organizations. Travelling expenses and accommodation­ ONLY being paid by the FIA.
    Again this will ensure­ that the voting members would not be indebted to FIA­ for their positions.
    As it stands now ALL positions at­ the FIA table is at the discretion of Herr Mosley and­ the Dwarf.
    Therefore an honest vote can never be cast!

    From Walking quiet, on Fri 26 Jun 7:37PM
  10. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    The FOTA teams wimped out. Signing on again with­ Bernie and Max was a mistake. It's going to be the­ same old baloney all over again. Max is incapable of­ being reasonable.

    From fishblue6, on Fri 26 Jun 7:17PM

  11. Helen, dear lady, I have just read Burt's sick joke­ and like you I am appalled. If it had been funny it­ might have been more acceptable. But what more can you­ expect from a young child, like the moral and physical­ coward that is Burt?

    From Rev. Gary Elfbollock, on Fri 26 Jun 6:08PM

  12. burt I reported you I know you are pond life but even­ you took it to far

    From liam, on Fri 26 Jun 5:37PM

  13. oh and burt you are sick and need help

    From liam, on Fri 26 Jun 5:28PM

  14. do you think mad Max is ordering a nazi escort in that­ pic

    From liam, on Fri 26 Jun 5:26PM

  15. If u people thought mosley was bad wait untill the next­ FIA dictator comes in. Im sure there is going to be a­ time when everyone who swore & hated moosley wished­ that he was still incharge. I dont like mosley, but the­ guy has done a lot for the sport. All seems mellow now­ and "F1 is saved" but wat i'm saying is­ that the light at the end of the tunnel could be a­ train comming your way!!!

    From Aaron D, on Fri 26 Jun 5:13PM

  16. Burt that post about the Jackson's and LH is beyond­ the limit of tolerable and decent behaviour.

    From Ellie, on Fri 26 Jun 5:07PM

  17. HELLO AGAIN MY LITTLE F1 BUDDIES, THIS IS YOUR FRIEND­ MARINARO4 FROM CHILE, WHAT A NAUGHTY BOY IS MY NEPHEW­ MARNIO FROM FERU, NOW THE ONLY THING HE IS DOING ON HIS­ POSTS IS NOTHING BUT SH-IT-IN-G POTATO'S, BUT ALL­ OF HIS SH-IT IS ALL FROM HIS SHRIVELED UP BRAIN, FROM­ DRINKING TO MUCH MOON SHINE, HIS FATHER WOULD­ EXPERIMENT WITH HIS BREW, AND HIS SON MARNIO USE TO­ DRINK ONE GALLON A DAY. BOY HE GOT SO PI-SS-ED, THAT­ WHEN HE WALKED TO SCHOOL, HE THOUGHT THAT THE CLASS­ ROOM SPUN AROUND, AND HE THOUGHT A TORNADO HAD COME TO­ CARRY HIM AWAY, AND HE THOUGHT THAT HE WAS IN THE LAND­ OF OZ AND WAS A LITTLE MUNCHKIN, AND THE TEACHER WAS­ DORTHY, AND THE HEAD MISTRESS WAS THE WICKED WITCH OF­ THE WEST.

    NOW LOOK AT MAX, AS UGLY AS HE HIS, HIS­ LOOKS RESEMBLE THE CAPACITY OF HIS BRAIN, NOTHING BUT­ SH-IT.

    From David, on Fri 26 Jun 2:45PM
  18. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    ita a shame the a way a F1 isa now going ita seem to­ a­­ start once a mr a hamilton asun a joined muclaren­ from­­ a dirty a tactics onna track thena to the a­ Spyagate­­ anda then a Lieagate anda witha corrupt a­ stewards­ anda­ keep a changin a rules a F1 asa never a­ been same­ a­ since.. itta nowa a farce a since a mr a­ hamilton­ asun­ arrived ata muclaren they are a now­ tarnished­ asa­ biggest a Cheat anda mr a hamilton asun­ with a­ fake a­ phoney Cheating a title itta couldnt a­ got any­ a worse­ mea think a why a FIA want anda keep­ a changin­ the­ rules after a spyagate anda lieagate­ toa bring the­ a­ JUSTICE a back to the a Tracks­
    BUTTON THE A NEW­ KING­ OFA F1........F1 WORLD­ CHAMPION­ 2009-2010....JENSON A­ BUTTON

    From , on Fri 26 Jun 11:04AM
  19. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    a max a mosley a just like a muppet a gordon brown­­­­­ willa run a F1 into the a ground before hea leave a­­­­­ like brown a done toa britain mistake after a­­ mistake­­­ anda lies a after a lies but a still hea­­ will a nota­­­ GO..me a also stilla not a sure a who­­ the a uglyier a­­ me a potter ora stunning a jeanette

    From , on Fri 26 Jun 11:00AM

  20. I think the "split" should have gone ahead­ and we the supporters and fans would at long last have­ had the F1 we richly deserve, all this inward fighting­ is absolutely no good for the sport or fans. Come on­ Lads get a grip lets all enjoy our F1 if this split­ goes ahead I see a tremendous future of honesty and­ good relationships on business levels.

    From huggy, on Fri 26 Jun 10:23AM
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