05/02/2006
NEWS STORY
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It's worth noting - if we are taking Max Mosley's comments at face value - and at this stage why wouldn't we - that in addition to his belief that it would be "entirely reasonable to offer the manufacturers that join the Formula One world championship no income", the Englishman believes that the manufacturers should get none of the commercial rights income: "because the savings they will be able to make under the 2008 Formula One regulations are very significantly greater than the sort of money they might receive from FOM.
"Savings would be at least £70m and more in most cases," added the Englishman. "This would enable FOM to distribute more money to the independent teams."
The FIA President made this comment to journalist Christian Sylt in the same interview as he made the earlier comment, however the quote was not used in the article in the Evening Standard.
There is a long-term feeling in F1, both in the paddock, and on internet forums, that Mosley and the FIA favour Ferrari, a claim that the Englishman has always denied.
The flames were re-ignited when the rule changes for 2006 were announced, particularly the re-introduction of tyre changes during Grands Prix, a move which many believe was done purely for the benefit of one team.
Following Mosley's comments, much is being made of recent comments made by Ferrari President, Luca di Montezemolo, who insists that the Italian team is a "private entity" and not a manufacturer.
It all depends how one defines "private entity" and "manufacturer", however, despite di Montezemolo's claim that Ferrari is self-sustaining and doesn't receive any funding from FIAT, it was 'Gruppo Ferrari Maserati' which was one of the founding members, and driving force, behind the Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC), along with fellow-manufacturers BMW, Renault and DaimlerChrysler.
Famously, and without warning, the Italian manufacturer jumped ship in January 2005 and signed up to Bernie Ecclestone's new Concorde Agreement, to be later joined by WilliamsF1, MF1, Red Bull and Toro Rosso.
The three other manufacturers behind the GPWC were subsequently joined by Honda and Toyota, and thus the Grand Prix Manufacturers' Association (GPMA) was born.
It's worth noting that the unpublished quote, particularly the comment; "manufacturers that join the Formula One World Championship" would receive no income, could suggest a let-out for Ferrari, which - if it is seen as a manufacturer - has already joined.
Either way, at a time when it appeared that a solution was close, Mosley's comments will have further muddied the water.
Mosley and Ecclestone have always publicly dismissed the threat of a breakaway series, however, it is known that the sport's commercial rights holder takes the GPMA far more seriously than he would have us believe.