05/02/2007
NEWS STORY
One week after Frank Williams warned that he will take legal action should Super Aguri and Toro Rosso attempt to circumvent the rules and enter a customer chassis, Spyker team boss Colin Kolles has admitted that his team also is prepared to fight the issue in court.
Speaking at the launch of his team's 2007 contender, the F8-VII, Kolles said: "If we don't like the cars then we will have an injunction, for sure.
"They will have to learn it the hard way," he said of Toro Rosso and Super Aguri, who are both thought to be using a loophole in the rules whereby the IP (Intellectual Property Rights) to the Red Bull RB3 and Honda RA106 are sold on to a third party, which then build the cars.
"I don't argue afterwards any more," said Kolles, according to Reuters. "We are trying to find a solution and there are some people who think they are super-clever. We will see at the end of the day, who has the evidence and the proof. And I can tell you that I have them and some people are very naive."
Speaking on Friday, at the launch of the Williams FW29, Patrick Head said: "We're running under the 1998 Concorde Agreement at the moment, and it's absolutely plain and clear that each team has to be the designer and constructor of their car. And no amount of smoke and mirrors, such as inventing another company and handing over the IP for a Euro or whatever, changes that.
"We race for a Drivers' Championship," he continued, "and also for a Constructors' Championship, and I don't really see how a team can compete and score points in a Constructors' Championship if they're not a constructor. The word 'constructor' covers not just the manufacture of the car, but the design and the development of the IP that underpins that."
However, like Frank Williams, he is convinced that a suitable solution might be found: "There is a long way to go, but personally I feel that a compromise can be reached," he admitted.
That compromise might involve a cash sweetener - although Bernie Ecclestone's previous offer was turned down - or it may involve money and an amendment to the rules whereby, should they use customer chassis, Toro Rosso and Super Aguri wouldn't score championship points. However, this could have a knock-on effect in terms of the commercial deals with FOM.
Kolles is adamant that points are one of the issues that need to be addressed: "They shouldn't be entitled to get drivers and constructors points," he said. "On drivers points, we can look into it. But definitely not constructors, because they are not constructors."
Super Aguri's intention to run with the 2006 Honda is all the more obvious following the Japanese team's announcement that it will unveil its 'new' car on March 12, just four days before the first practice session of the 2007 season. Prompting Spyker Chief Technical Officer, Mike Gascoyne, to say: "I've not heard of anyone not running a car and unveiling it so late. It would be madness.