I am guessing that, by now, everyone has seen the list of teams accepted by the FIA for 2010. The inclusion of Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso as unconditional entrants is evidence that Max Mosley has still not realized the seriousness of Ferrari's intent not to race until FOTA's conditions have been met. All three teams have issued immediate reiterations of their solidarity with FOTA and it is clear that Mosley is just delaying his inevitable capitulation another week.
To be seeking to split FOTA ranks at this stage is an indication of Mosley's complete lack of concern for the future of the sport he is supposed to run for the benefit of all. If his public statements are to be believed, nothing remains of his intended rule changes, including the two-tier system and the budget cap (now increased to 100 million Euros) and there is no point in continuing to hold on desperately to contracts that he has broken several times already. The veiled threat of legal proceedings now is pure irresponsibility stemming from petty concern for Mosley's own power above the interests of the sport.
He is, of course, gambling on the thought that Ferrari will back down in the end, abandoning FOTA and the need for good government of F1. Yet the determination of the Italian team is demonstrated by their willingness to risk exclusion from the series in the FIA's list published today. Mosley's inclusion of the team as an unconditional entrant is merely a refusal to face the facts, a vain hope that FOTA will split if given enough time. It is not going to happen and next week we will see the same scenario again, with a resulting deadlock that can only end in defeat for Mosley or withdrawal of all the FOTA teams.
Either way, it hardly matters that the FIA has chosen some unexpected new teams as acceptable to F1. Without the FOTA teams, F1 will be a series on a par with GP2 and its audience will melt away accordingly.
It is difficult to find a voice of reason in F1 these days but, in this instance, we need look no further than John Howett's interview with Radio 5 Live. I quote one sentence that cuts through the propaganda of both sides:
It is not about power and FOTA running the sport, we are saying we want a proper and balanced governance process.
What a shame it is that F1 has been ruled by the diktats of one man for far too long and that he still refuses to set aside his own perceived importance to reach a sensible compromise with those who actually compete in the sport. It really is time that Bernie brought him back to heel.