The F1 world breathes a huge sigh of relief today with the news from the WMSC meeting that Max Mosley has announced that he will not stand for re-election. There has also been an agreement on cost reductions for the next two years (and no mention of a cost cap), with the teams to sign a new Concorde Agreement to run to 2012. Effectively, this means that FOTA has achieved all of its objectives and there will be no breakaway series as a result.
One FIA, one F1, one victor - the sport!
As interesting as the prospect of a FOTA series was, with all the speculation regarding possible race venues that went along with that, it must surely be preferable that F1 remain one series and the pinnacle of motor sport. Although it was not inevitable that a split would create two weak championships in the place of a strong one, it would have taken time to build up to present levels and the continuation of a united F1 is the best outcome possible. We should be grateful that Bernie Ecclestone, Luca di Montezemolo and the WMSC have at last managed to get Max to face reality.
Regardless of the wording of Mosley's announcement, it is clear that he has suffered a humiliating defeat. None of his intentions for the future survive and we can look forward to a sensible adjustment of the 2009 rules to be hammered out in the next few weeks. I would guess that the changes to the rules as they are at present will include such things as a ban on refueling, no KERS, the end of tire warmers and limitations on expenditure to bring it within about 100 million euros. It will be evolution of the sport instead of revolution.
The fans are already celebrating, apart from those few who were dead set on a completely new series, but I would mention that there have been casualties in the battle. Chief amongst these must be Prodrive and Lola, whose applications to participate in F1 were not accepted by Mosley. In a political move clearly designed to give Max a little more wiggle room, these excellent candidates were shoved aside in favor of Campos and Manor, neither of which have any history in the sport. It is unlikely that the final entry list, due out later today, will include any teams from Mosley's "reserve list". Poor Dave Richards, who has now tried twice to enter Prodrive to the game only to be foiled on both occasions by the failure of Max's promises.
We can guess that the list will consist of the eight FOTA teams plus Williams, Force India and the three accepted new teams, therefore. And that, in spite of the loss of Lola, Prodrive and N. Technology, is one of the good things to have come out of the mess. F1 will have a full field of thirteen teams and twenty-six cars next year - something that has not been true for many years. I would have liked to have seen the losing three included and a return to pre-qualifying but one cannot have everything, I suppose.
There remains a nagging thought that somehow Max will find a way to remain as FIA president for years to come. I have become so used to his reneging on every promise and his political maneuvering that it hardly seems possible that, come October, we will never have to talk of him again. Were he to manage that and somehow hang on to power, he would have outwitted FOTA in that October would definitely be too late to set up an alternative series.
But no, surely this time he has lost for good. Any such continuation would bring an immediate revolt amongst the teams and we would be faced with the destruction of F1 with nothing to replace it. Mosley's days in charge are really numbered, an outcome we all hoped for but did not dare to believe possible. Congratulations to FOTA for braving it out to the end, knowing that the vast majority of the fans were solidly behind them. Let us look forward now to years of improving racing as common sense becomes the government of the sport, rather than the egomania of one man.
Nick Craw for President!