How NOT To Celebrate

The winner of the dumbest celebration of 2009 award is Spain's Alvaro Bautista who finished third in today's 250cc MotoGP race in the Czech Republic and then did this.

More Clowning Around At The F1 Circus

Quite frankly, what is happening in Formula One this week can at best be described as a shit storm.

For those of you who’ve not heard, eight of the ten teams currently taking part in the sport last night announced that they’ve commenced preparations for a breakaway series in what could become the greatest upheaval in the sixty year history of Formula One. Unless a compromise is found between the FIA and the teams’ association FOTA, then it’s possible that Formula One will continue sans Ferrari, McLaren and many of the other teams which have contributed to the history of the greatest form of motorsport.

So how did we get here? Well, the starting point can be debated but this row hit its current zenith when Honda sensationally quit the sport towards the end of last year. Though they were saved and became what we now know as Brawn GP, this signalled a warning sign for the sport’s governing body. Costs needed to be slashed to ensure that grid levels didn’t fall below the current twenty, a move made more necessary and urgent by the recession. Discussions on how exactly to save money left to the proposal of a budget cap, something that many of the teams (especially Ferrari) are against. They accuse the FIA of poor governance, the FIA don’t back down and we’re now as close as ever to the ruination of Formula One.





There are other factors at work aside from the obvious monetary ones. For one, it’s clear that many team principals are unhappy with the stewardship of Max Mosley as President of the FIA. They claimed about him to the World Motorsport Council and a statement released by the FIA in the last few days showed contempt for Ferrari head Luca di Montezemolo. Another statement is due from the FIA this afternoon – I’d expect more of the same.




Today’s development is not unexpected and while my pal James claims that a breakaway series is viable, I have to disagree. Split championships mean split revenues. Is it really feasible for FOTA to organise a Championship on time for next year? Aside from the logistical problems that come with organising events, the teams will have to negotiate deals with tyre suppliers, fuel suppliers etc. Who would televise the deals and, more crucially, who will pay to televise them? Formula One’s main income is from broadcasters and this will not be matched for the FOTA crowd.

I suspect a deal will be reached. Common sense will apply, concessions will be made and Formula 1 will last. Max Mosley will almost certainly have to leave his post as FIA President for this to happen, but I feel he will. The sport’s reputation will be tarnished though. Fans want close racing and great action. Casual fans will be turned off if, when they tune in to Sunday’s race, discussion is dominated by politics. The sport did not need this, and unless a deal is struck soon (this evening's impending deadline for next year’s entry list means that is possible) then the sport could take a long time to recover from this.

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Update

The FIA statement has been released in the last few minutes and will do little to ease tensions. In the statement, which can be seen here, the governing body threaten legal action against FOTA over the breakaway series and again single out Ferrari for criticism. The statement also indicates that the aforementioned entry list will be delayed because of the legal proceedings, which hopefully is a tactic to buy more time to ensure that a deal is struck. The row rumbles on...

Le Mans, Ten Years Later

It's Le Mans weekend. I won't see too much this year because herself is about but it did remind me of the first time I watched a significant amount of the race, which was ten years ago. You'll be glad to know that Peter Dumbreck walked away from this one okay, but I wish I was a headline writer back then just so I could write about Mercedes' Dumb-wreck!

Hanging On... Hanging On...

This is Raffaele De Rosa who races in the 125cc World Championship and, judging by this clip, has very impressive bike control!

Are You An E-Reporter?

Hey guys. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice from the spiel at the top of this page that I was lucky enough to be a finalist in an amazing competition last year. I was one of nine people chosen to take part in the Bridgestone E-Reporter competition, which saw me jet off to the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona and report on GP2. Fun doesn't cover the time I had - it was perhaps the best thing I ever did. I met so many people, made friends and above all else got to experience life at a Formula 1 Grand Prix from inside the paddock, in a way that money literally cannot buy. The competition is back this year, bigger and better than ever. So enter, do. If you meet the criteria then i couldn't recommend it highly enough. Even if you're not interested in motorsport to the same extent that I am, this competition gives you great experience. It's a notch on your CV that is recognised and rewarded and many of the finalists have gone on to work as full-time journalists in the motoring industry.

I've left this late - the closing date is tomorrow. But check it out, and enter. You won't regret it.

http://www.bridgestone-ereporter.eu/ereporter/