timd wrote:We seem to forget that Formula 1 has been running since time began with no budget cap and new teams came along to compete.
Now we are in a position where like a lot of other things in the world rather than making small changes to see the effect they have before making further. We are takeing massive swipes at the rules. Its nonsense. Its bad science and its bad buisness. Its the very boom bust approach which F1 is supposed to be trying to avoid.
I agree that 350 mill budgets cant go on but so does the FOTA. You will take not that ALL teams agreed on these proposals not just Mclaren and Ferrari.
A year or so ago when they talked about Jean Todt being the next presedent i thought what a disaster it would be putting a ferarri man at the top. Now i would welcome him with open arms.
BTW i am not a ferarri fan in the slightest. I happen to enjoy watching them blow their engines both in F1 and their brakes set on fire on the track myself
I do however side with them and FOTA's train of thought on stopping all these rash rule changes and doing things in a stepwise logical approach.
When was the last time a new team came into the sport? SAR... and what happened to them? and the last new team before them? and how many teams have we lost since that team? how many bankrupt attempts just to run the Jordan franchise?
All the rules changes were agreed to by the teams/FOTA... every single one... most were proposed by them.
We have even learned recently that FErrari held a VEto which they could have used at any time... please do not overlook this.
The only rash rule changes made that FOTA has not agreed to is the budget cap, and only because a couple of the teams refuse to give up their financial advantage over the whole field... but that very financial advantage is what has made it so difficult for the small teams to compete and ultimately led to their dissolution.
The only reason the indy teams have stuck to FOTA is because that is their only way to squeeze more money from BE... soon enuff they will abandon FOTA for their own benefit just as Ferrari abandoned GPMA for its own. FErrari already is contracted to a spot locked up on 2010 grid so they can play chicken alot longer than Force India for instance. But the Indy teams can only get more money if they team up with Ferrari, FErrari doesnt care about more money from BE, they want to maintain their advantage financially and over the rules with their golden Veto... like they say politics makes strange bed fellows.