Fans of Garcia will be glad to know that I have received a report from him and am busily engaged in editing it at the moment. This may take a while, since he cares little for any lawsuits that might result for me through anything he writes so casually, but I am hopeful that I will be able to post his piece in the next few days.
Manor Motorsports in F3
In the meantime, it is worth having a look at the next political storm that may be brewing in the background. Although still at the stage of rumor, this one has the potential for taking the focus off the current Mosley/di Montezemolo struggle, which would be a welcome relief for us all, I think.
I refer to the interesting relationship between Mosley's sidekick, Alan Donnelly, and Manor Motorsport (one of the new teams accepted for next season by the FIA), as reported by Pitpass this morning. The story originates in the UK's Guardian newspaper and has a bit more credibility than emanations from the more dubious publications therefore.
Donnelly was the man reported by FOTA to have been trying to persuade teams away from FOTA and it seems that is not all he and his company, Sovereign Strategy, have been up to recently. Although Donnelly denies any direct involvement with the team, an associate director of his company is organizing Manor's public relations strategy. It is no surprise that memories of the general surprise at Manor's inclusion in the list of the FIA's accepted teams arise, with the reultant suspicion of some kind of connection between Donnelly, Mosley and Manor.
It does not really matter whether there is any substance to the story; it is just another example of Mosley's regime ignoring the restraint required to avoid any conflict of interests. An administration that has a long record of apparently ignoring potential doubts of ethical standards in its decisions, damages its reputation for fairness in all things.
As examples, I can mention the sale of commercial rights to Bernie Ecclestone, the choice of Bridgestone as the standard tire supplier (coupled with the odd relationship between the tire company and the FIA that followed, Bridgestone seemingly able to dictate tire rules and regulations to the governing body), the selection of McLaren Systems' ECU over Magneti Marelli's offering, the appointment of Donnelly as chairman of the stewards and the long-suspected and now verified facts of the "special relationship" between the FIA and Ferrari. Put it all together and it hints at something very rotten at the core of the FIA.
Nothing may ever be proved or admitted in this latest uneasy affair; probably everything will die down after denials without proof, just as all the others have been forgotten or ignored. But it may suggest one more reason why Mosley is so reluctant to release his grip on power in the FIA. Is it possible that any future president, if not the choice of Mosley, might discover events in the past that could blow the reputation of the FIA and Max Mosley clean out of the water?