28/10/2008
NEWS STORY
 |
In the old days, especially when Enzo was in charge, it was not unusual for Ferrari to threaten to quit the Formula One, indeed, they made the claim with a certain regularity.
In recent years, however, while there has been talk of a breakaway series, for much of the time Ferrari has sided with the sport's governing body.
However, the formation of the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) appears to have changed all that, will all ten teams looking united in a way they have never done before.
Last week, following the meeting between FOTA's Luca di Montezemolo, John Howett and Max Mosley, it was claimed that "finally we will have an economic F1". There must have been a few, slightly older, fans out there who recalled a certain speech from Mr Neville Chamberlain on his return from Munich and his meeting with Adolf Hitler in late September 1938.
While the teams will be delighted to cut costs of their F1 racing programmes, in order that they can spend elsewhere, for the most part they still want the sport to retain some purity. For the manufacturers, it is the cutting edge technology that is important, especially when it can be used to develop systems that will eventually find their way on to road cars.
However, while the manufacturers might listen to talk of standard components they clearly draw the line at engines. While the thought of a Ferrari or Mercedes badged Zytek might break the heart of the purist fan, it would send shivers through Maranello and Stuttgart.
The FIA's request for tenders for the supply of standard engines and gearboxes was made on the Friday of the Chinese GP weekend, catching the pitlane entirely off-guard. And while, the talks on cost cutting went well, yesterday's statement from the FIA, in which it made clear that it is pushing ahead with the engine plan wrought the reaction that everyone is now talking about.
While Toyota was quick to make it clear that it was not happy with the proposal it was only when Ferrari said it was to reconsider its future in F1 that the alarm bells started ringing.
The fact is that this is the opening gambit in a game, a game that many within the sport are well used to.
Max, emboldened by the way the sex scandal has worked in his favour, has made his demands, asking, as ever, for far more than he really wants, or expects. The teams have said yes to some things, no to others. And so the game begins.
However, with the ongoing financial crisis, talk of a world wide recession, and the fact that some teams really aren't making a mark on F1, now would be the perfect time for some to walk away claiming they did it for reasons of purity and heritage.