Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Maurice Hamilton

This tedious political battle does formula one no favours

Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, president of Ferrari which has been forced to enter 2010 championship.
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, president of Ferrari which has been forced to enter next year's championship by the FIA. Photograph: Kamran Jebreili/AP

It's difficult in these straitened times, but try to imagine you are a successful businessman with £10m to invest and you're not sure whether to put it into the Premier League or Formula One. You pop up to Silverstone next Friday to take a look at the first day of practice for the British grand prix. What do you find?

Instead of focusing on a heart-warming success story as Jenson Button dominates the world championship (not to mention Lewis Hamilton motoring nowhere in a McLaren that doesn't work), the media are running around chasing an increasingly tedious political story which appears to be orchestrated by the wealthy and ageing head of the sport.

You ask about next year's championship; straightforward questions such as who will be entered, under what regulations and where exactly will they race? No one has the faintest clue. Confused, you turn your back on what is supposed to be the leading edge of a glamorous global sport and walk into the arms of the first football club you can find.

An exaggeration, perhaps, but a reflection of the latest episode of woe created by an entry list for the 2010 world championship, published today by the sport's governing body, the FIA. Max Mosley, president of the FIA, has offered only provisional entries for big names such as BMW and Toyota, not to mention Brawn, the runaway leaders of the 2009 title chase. All three are members of the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) and yet Ferrari, a leading member of Fota, is a definite entry.

The initial impression is that Formula One is in even more disarray than usual with the threat of a split if Fota fails to accept the FIA's conditions and Ferrari is forced to stay because of a legally binding obligation to be a part of the FIA championship until 2012. The entry includes three new teams and there is a shortlist of hopefuls wishing to join, particularly if Mosley succeeds in introducing the stringent budget cap which is causing such strong objections from Fota.

A meeting of Fota members in Turkey last weekend left no doubt about their resolve to form a breakaway championship, if push came to shove. And, it has to be said, some of the names proposing to enter formula one are clearly intent on embarrassing themselves, never mind the FIA's blue-chip championship.

In truth, the situation is probably not as dire as it seems. A 500-page proposal drawn up by Fota has more or less the same aims as Mosley. There are a few sticking points and both sides know motorsport would be the loser if there was a split. Mosley, meanwhile, is causing minor mayhem by forcing Ferrari (as well and Red Bull and Toro Rosso) to adhere to a contract they signed in 2005. Both sides have legitimate points to make and it's likely that common sense will ultimately prevail. In the meantime, extensive damage is being done to the image of a sport which appears to be riddled with even more self-interest than usual. It is unnecessary and thoroughly irresponsible.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.