Tin helmets on, here comes the World Council


As Formula 1 looks disaster in the face once again, at the meeting of the FIA World Council in Paris on Wednesday, the signs are not looking good that peace is about to break out and team principals, in addition to the voluble Paul Stoddart, are whispering darkly that if the FIA imposes harsh penalties on the teams there will be war. And war will almost certainly mean that the French Grand Prix will have to be run with two cars. One can only assume that in such a circumstance the FIA would have to either cancel the event or run the two Ferraris with a field of GP2 cars, which would not be much of a spectacle and it would be breaking what Max Mosley says are unbreakable rules.

On the surface, however, the team bosses (with the exception of Stoddart) are not saying much and it is impressive that the discipline that exists between them is not breaking down. They obviously have a plan and are sticking to it.

Max Mosley, on the other hand, is talking openly about the conflict and is showing no signs of compromise, apparently being confident that the FIA will win no matter what happens.

"It doesn't particularly bother me," he told BBC Radio. "My predecessor, when he had a conflict like this, and I must say I was on the other side with the teams, we used to ask him to resign on an hourly basis. He never took any notice."

What Mosley forgot to mention was that eventually the FIA membership grew tired of Jean-Marie Balestre and voted him out of office, much to his surprise. There is a danger that the World Council could vote against Mosley. That happened at the equivalent meeting a year ago, over the question of karting. After that defeat Mosley resigned, only to return to office a couple of weeks later when it became clear that the other FIA men were incapable of naming a new leader.

The downside of voting Mosley out is that the FIA would be seen to have bent to the will of the F1 teams. Some members may see that as being a bad thing but the alternative is little better as any serious punishment will result in an explosion and probably a rival championship beginning almost immediately, possibly even next weekend. It is more likely therefore that Mosley will try something to divide the teams, perhaps by punishing some but not the others. He has hinted as much in an interview with The Guardian.

"I wouldn't exclude a ban or two," Mosley said. "If it emerges that the guilt of certain teams is of a certain level, then a ban will be justified. There are various other possibilities - points being deducted, a fine or reprimand. I don't know what will happen until we hear from the teams."

The teams are, however, now well-tuned to tactics such as divide-and-conquer and they will be going into the meeting having thought through all the possible outcomes in advance and so their reaction will probably be set even before they go before the World Council.

In addition the many fans who have written to complain about Mosley - and in our mailbox the responses have been clearly anti-Mosley in percentage terms - other well-known figures in the sport have joined the fray, notably Sir Jackie Stewart, president of the British Racing Drivers' Club, who told BBC Radio Five Live: "The infrastructure failed. The FIA communication system failed totally. In all the years, I've never seen such damage done, and I think it was avoidable."

Stewart warned that a serious punishment would be "scandalous".

"I think the sport, if it's allowed to be dealt with in that fashion, can't go on with the leadership it has if that is the case," he said. "We've got to have a workable organisation because those teams are being supported financially by multi-national corporations around the world. In the normal business sector, where corporate life has a very dim view of that kind of situation being allowed to occur, the management of the whole structure is put into question. I think the people at the top are vulnerable."

The 23 members of the World Council thus have a heavy burden on their shoulders. Many of them are longtime Mosley supporters and may not dare go against their patron, for fear of losing their own positions, but others, particularly those who organise Formula 1 events, have much to lose if Formula 1 blows up. This group includes France's Jacques Regis, who was a leading light in last year's rising against Mosley, Germany's Hermann Tomcyzk, Turkey's Mumtaz Tahincioglu.

The other members of the council are Marco Piccinini (I), Michel Boeri (MC), Carlos Gracia (E), Nazir Hoosein (an Indian who represents China following a dispute with the Indian government), John Large (AUS), Burdette Martin (USA), Raphael Sierra (RA), Jacek Bartos (Poland), Morrie Chandler (NZ), Vassilis Despotopoulos (Greece), Henry Krausz (Dominican Republic), Derek Ledger (Jordan), Radovan Novak (Czech Republic), Lars Osterlind (Sweden), Katsutoshi Tamura (Japan), Antonio Vasconcelos Tavares (Portugal) and Vincent Caro (representing the international karting federation). There are two other members: Bernie Ecclestone, who represents the F1 teams and Jean Todt, who represents the Constructors in F1 matters. Todt's role in the proceedings is sure to be controversial as he clearly does not have the support of the other manufacturers in F1. The option would be for the Constructors to the represented by Gabriele Cadringher, who sits on the Council for all non-F1 matters. .

Interesting. However, it would be right and proper to give credit to your source.

As I've said through all of this, and even before the Indy fiasco, this is coming down just like the FISA/FOCA war. What's funny is it's so similar with the exception that Max and Bernie are on the other side now. Shoot, it's even a case of Ferrari siding with the FIA as it did with FISA (former FIA sporting arm) and the rest of the teams not.

Max is nearly as bombastic as JMB was.

Bernie representing the F1 teams is a joke. It has been for 10 years or more.

I'd say: Sir Jackie Stewart for FIA prez, but he's certainly not that stupid. :)

Here is the source, found it by accident.

http://www.grandprix.com/ns/ns15106.html

Here is another good one if you haven't read it:

http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=The_Mole&PO_ID=33238

THE MOLE: 276
When The Mole returned from Indianapolis, he spent the first morning back in the office, working the phones. All hell had broken loose in the motor racing world.

Miss Pringle-Featherby (of the Berkshire Pringle-Featherbys) kept up a constant flow of cups of tea and Rich Tea biscuits but The Mole remained in a deep depression.

"It is a disaster," he moaned at one point.

"Oh, look on the bright side," said Penelope (Roedean). "If nothing else it will shake the tree and the dead wood will fall out."

"I am worried that the tree is so rotten that it will fall down," said The Mole. "How could they have been so stupid?"

"I prefer the word arrogance," said Penelope. "Total, blind arrogance."

The Mole nodded.

"I think it was a poker game that went wrong," he said. "I think Max Mosley really believed that the Michelin teams would back down at the last minute and race in the United States. He wanted them humiliated but he did not read the signs."

"How could he?" said Penelope. "He was sitting in an ivory tower in Europe, relying on telephone conversations. It was like playing poker with a blindfold. He bet the farm and he lost. And now we are moving on to the next hand and he needs to be a little more careful."

"Not very intelligent," said The Mole.

"No, Max is very smart," said Penelope. "He may be getting older but his brain is still working. The problem is arrogance. To imagine that you can do it all by telephone is astonishing."

"Well, it works in Australia," said The Mole.

"Yes," said Penelope, "but the opposition was not as frightening. Paul Stoddart is like a terrier pulling at your trouser-leg, taking on all the teams is battling a creature which wants to tear your heart out."

"Messy business," said The Mole.

There was a pause and then The Mole beckoned Penelope to him.

"Come here," he whispered, slightly alarming his deputy. "I don't want anyone else hearing this. The rebel teams are talking about driving their trucks right past Magny-Cours next week and not stopping until they get to Paul Ricard.

"Paul Ricard!" said Penelope.

"Shh," hissed The Mole.

"Well, that means... That means that Bernie Ecclestone is with the teams," she said. "Paul Ricard is his race track."

"His test track," corrected The Mole.

"So there would be 14 cars at Ricard?"

"Probably 16," said The Mole. "I guess Minardi would go with the rebels and switch to Michelin."

"And Jordan?"

"No one gives a damn about Jordan," said The Mole, coldly. "It would be a race for TV only. No spectators."

"And Magny-Cours?" said Penelope. "Max and Jean Todt can play I-Spy with the crowd."

"I Spy with my little eye, something beginning with E."

"Empty pit lane?" fired back Penelope.

They both smiled.

"That makes sense," Penelope said. "The major TV stations will go with The Bernard."

The Mole nodded.

"So this is the big showdown," she said.

"I think so," said The Mole. "It's just like the FISA-FOCA War of 1980-1981. 16 cars is not bad at all for a rebel race. And Ferrari has no sensible allies.

"What are they going to do? Buy some GP2 cars from Flavio, paint them red and let Michael Schumacher beat Heikki Kovalainen?"

"Well, actually Kovalainen beat him at the Race of Champions last winter," said Penelope.

"You know, this can only last a week or two," The Mole said. "This will get them all back to the negotiating table."

"Do you really think that Max and Bernie will turn on one another?"

"It looks that way, doesn't it?"

"Wow," said Penelope, "that is pretty nuclear as explosions go."

"Well," said The Mole, "Things are moving all the time and Bernie will always jump to what he believes is the winning side. If he jumps into bed with the manufacturers now, he will get a better deal in the long term, won't he?"

"Maybe," said Penelope. "But America is screwed for F1."

"No," said The Mole. "I think not. If you think about it, everyone is annoyed but if Tony George gives them free tickets next year and F1 serves them up Danica Patrick in a Williams and Scott Speed in a Renault, they are going to come back and watch. They just will."

"Even after Bernie called her a domestic appliance?" said Penelope.

"It was a joke," said The Mole. "A poor joke perhaps but Bernie was just making waves, trying to get F1 in the newspapers. He does it all the time. In Montreal Jacques Villeneuve was hopeless, wasn't he? It is an easy way to get people talking about the sport."

"I hear Danica is pretty feisty. If someone called me a domestic appliance, I'd slap him."

"She's a fireball," said The Mole. "But race ace slaps F1 boss is a great story, isn't it? Bernie doesn't mind a bit of slapstick, as long as the money keeps coming in."

"For that sort for money, you can slap me around," said Penelope.

The Mole raised an eyebrow.

"I must go and look in my piggy-bank," he muttered with a smile.

That was odd...

yeah I don't like it, it's an on going series on itv.

I like that story a lot. It all makes sense. F@CK MAX MOSLEY AND FIA!! And if Ferrari wants to side with the FIA then F@CK them too. I love F1 but it will all go down the drain if there is a break away series. I mean come on... think about it. IN the GPWC you'd have McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BAR, Williams, Red Bull, and probably the new BMW team. Minardi would probly come too. Who knows what happens to Jordan. Then whatz F1 have left..... a Ferrari spec series....hahaha that's a joke and it would fail miserably. GPWC would put on a show, REGARDLESS... they would be free from the oppresssive reign of the FIA!!!!