Fia President Max Mosley is quoted as saying an agreement has been reached with the FOTA teams, as part of this deal he agreed not to run for re-election in October. No comment as of yet from FOTA so take it with grain of salt.
UPDATE: Joint press conference, Montezemolo/Mosley. Montezemolo "praises" Mosley, Mosley remains delusional until the end.
"As far as I'm concerned, the teams were always going to get rid of me in October," said Mosley. "Well they still are. Whether the person who succeeds me will be more to their liking remains to be seen."
24 hours ago, this was Mosley's defiant letter to the FIA assertiing that because the teams wanted him gone he WOULD stand for re-election in October...
FEDERATION INTERNATIONALE DE L’AUTOMOBILE
Le Président
8, place de la Concorde, 75008 Paris
All FIA member clubs
23 June 2009
Dear President
Formula One teams belonging to five of the major car manufacturers have formed an organisation called ‘FOTA’, whose purpose is to take over the FIA's regulatory function in Formula One. In connection with this, the European car industry association ACEA has made the following statement:
“ACEA has come to the conclusion that the FIA needs a modernised and transparent governance system and processes, including the revision of its constitution, to ensure the voice of its members, worldwide motor sport competitors and motorists are properly reflected.”
This is an attack on the FIA's right to regulate its Formula One World Championship but, worse, it is a wholly unjustified criticism of and direct challenge to the entire structure and purpose of the FIA.
No president of the FIA could allow this to go unanswered. I have therefore responded on your behalf (see attachments). We are also preparing legal proceedings in case these are needed to protect the FIA's rights in its Championship and to discourage any dissident Formula One team from engaging in illegal acts.
You will notice from the attachments that the catalyst for the current dispute was the FIA's attempts to reduce costs in Formula One. A reduction in costs is essential if the independent teams are to survive.
Without the independent teams, the Championship would depend entirely on the car manufacturers who, of course, have always come and gone as it suited them.
It is extraordinary that at a time when all five manufacturers involved are in great financial difficulty and relying on taxpayers money, their Formula One teams should threaten a breakaway series in order to avoid reducing their Formula One costs. It remains to be seen whether the boards of the parent companies will allow precious resources to be wasted in this way.
Over recent weeks it has become increasingly clear that one of the objectives of the dissident teams is that I should resign as president of the FIA. Last year you offered me your confidence and, as I wrote to you on 16 May 2008, it was my intention not to seek re-election in October this year. However, in light of the attack on the mandate you have entrusted to me, I must now reflect on whether my original decision not to stand for re-election was indeed the right one.
It is for the FIA membership, and the FIA membership alone, to decide on its democratically elected leadership, not the motor industry and still less the individuals the industry employs to run its Formula One teams.
Yours sincerely
Max Mosley
i wonder if he caught wind that things would not go well for him today at the WMSC meeting. if that was the case, then an eleventh hour meeting with FOTA was all he could do to save his job until the end of his term. i still dont believe he will stand down. i can just see him saying "I prevented F1 from splitting in two. i should run again." douchebag
ReplyDeleteGazzetta Dello Sport reports something slightly different, that Mosley has agreed to delegate the FIA senate to carry on his duties and that he'll stop having anything to do with F1 immediately... other than to collect his paycheck that is.
ReplyDeleteMosley: There will be no breakaway series.
ReplyDeletePlease check story on www.planetf1.com
I love how it's all about Mosley.... he probably sees himself a a hero who sacrificed himself for the good of F1. In reality he got the boot
ReplyDeleteToo bad in a way, this means the F1 regulations will remain, in fact. Mosley's. A new series would have given a chance for some fresh thinking....
ReplyDeleteAC, let's hope that whoever succeds Mosley isn't completely unwilling to listen to the teams when it comes to rules. i'm sure he does see himself as a hero, or he will spin it as such, but it's got to sting him a little, don't you think? plus, i still think the FIA had something to do with it. he did a 180 in just a matter of days.
ReplyDeleteIn my heart of hearts I hoped this would happen. As great as FOTA is, there would have definitly been growing pains with the birth of a new series. This way we can retain the luster of formula one and hopefully not have a million rule changes every year. I just hope Bernie can cool it with abandoning classic races in favor of asian snooze-fests.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that nobody is saying what happened in the last 24hrs to cause Mosley to do a complete 180...
ReplyDeleteRon Dennis walked in with more home movies? More likely a phone call from CVC .
AC, My guess is Mosley is getting a shitload of money.
ReplyDeleteI imagine Bernie took him to one side and told him he was taking the money with him.
ReplyDeleteMax - who is a dick - knew in his heart of hearts that the teams and events were bigger than the FIA. Look at what happened when the Premier League was formed in England. The top teams started their own competition with their rules. Result - complete success.
He was a beaten man - he's now just trying to go out looking like a winner.