20/05/2009
NEWS STORY
The Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris has rejected Ferrari's injunction against the FIA's proposed rule changes for 2010.
In a written statement, magistrate Jacques Gondran de Robert declared: "There is no risk of any imminent damage which should be prevented or obviously illegal trouble which should be stopped."
The FIA subsequently reacted with FIA President Max Mosley telling Reuters: "No competitor should place their interests above those of the sport in which they compete. The FIA, the teams and our commercial partners will now continue to work to ensure the well-being of Formula One in 2010 and beyond."
The FIA might have won Round 1, however, it remains to be seen what Ferrari's next move might be. While the FIA would have appealed had Ferrari won today, sources admit that had the appeal failed Mosley would have found himself in deep doo-doo.
Ferrari has yet to react to the ruling, while the other teams objecting to the FIA's proposals for next season have yet to make their move.
Ferrari's injunction was never about stopping the FIA, it was about temporarily delaying the process. It remains to be seen whether the FOTA teams might follow Bernie Ecclestone's advice and challenge the FIA's governance of the sport in front of the European commission.
Certainly, this is by no means the end of the matter.