F1-Blog

Max let off

The FIA extraordinary general meeting has given Max a life-line, for now.

It seems that of the 177 votes cast, he got 103 votes for him to stay on, with seven abstentions and four invalid votes. So for now he is still the FIA president.

However it could all change. The German ADAC (largest motoring body in Europe) have decided to suspend all activities relating to the FIA from immediate effect, and it also looks like the American Automobile Association will be doing the same unless Max steps down as president.

Quote from ADAC - This is a reason for Europe’s largest automobile club to let its functions and co-operation in FIA working groups rest at world level, ADAC will stay with its decision as long as Max Mosley holds the top FIA office as President. 

Quote from AAA - (it was a) disappointing day for the FIA. I will give it very serious consideration whether or not to remain effectively engaged in an organisation that condones this type of activity.

McLaren being punished?

The German newspaper Bild has published what it says are details of why the McLaren team are at the bottom of the pit lane this weekend in Bahrain.

The Newspaper says that it is the FIA actioning it’s right to do this to the team, after Bernie Ecclestone had agreed with the relevant parties to allow the McLaren team to take the fifth pit garage.

This demotion will not really affect the team this week, as the Bahrain circuit is well setup, and all the teams get the same allocation of space, however if the FIA enforce this again whilst the teams are in Europe, then the McLaren outfit will suffer as space is limited at most European tracks, especially at the bottom end of the pit lane.

Bild says the reason this has happened is that the FIA agreed to the deal with Ernie, under the belief that Ron Dennis would stand down before the season start. Obviously this did not happen, and when Dennis went to collect the winners trophy in Australia, it seems that it annoyed ’someone’ in the FIA so much that they are forcing the team back down the lane.

Max talks

First up the letter, and it’s really well worded, proving he is a political animal, and not stupid.

From information provided to me by an impeccable high-level source close to the UK police and security services, I understand that over the last 2 weeks or so, a covert investigation of my private life and background has been undertaken by a group specialising in such things, for reasons and clients as yet unknown. I have had similar but less well-sourced information from France

Regrettably you are now familiar with the results of this covert investigation and I am very sorry if this has embarrassed you or the club. Not content with publicising highly personal and private activities, which are, to say the least, embarrassing, a British tabloid newspaper published the story with the claim that there was some sort of Nazi connotation to the matter. This is entirely false.

Has ‘mad’ Max finally made a sensible decision?

The FIA have circulated a letter to the F1 teams this week. It basically sums up the recent talks the teams had about budget caps, and engines.

The letter says that the FIA are going to go ahead and introduce the budget caps in 2009, and also details what will be exempt from the cap.

So far it looks like Drivers, Engines, Marketing and Team Principle salary’s will not have to be found out of the rumoured 150million dollar budget.

Instead it seems the budget is directly targeted at lowering the cost of Aero development, as CFD and wind tunnel usage is not cheap (BMW own a 12-teraflop supercomputer for their CFD usage called Albert2).

The letter also eluded to the rumoured change to the 10 year engine freeze, it seems that it will certainly be lowered to a 5 year freeze, so we are already half way through it, which is good news.

The budget capping is certainly a better idea than the mandated limiting of CFG and Tunnel usage that was first planned by the FIA.

Budgets and Engines

It seems that the FIA have finaly cottoned onto a proper way to limit the spending in F1, and that is to limit the spending in F1 (about time geniuses)

The FIA have proposed to limit team spending to 150 million dollars a year, and to reduce the engine freeze to only 5 years, with the possibility of a new engine regulation to be brought in (probably smaller turbocharged engines, as they are better on fuel and emitions).

Most of the team principles have agreed to this (with Ross Brawn actually pushing the idea).

I say most, it seems that one of F1’s biggest spenders don’t like the idea. No not Toyota, instead Ferrari.

It would impact them quite badly, as there driver lineup would account for a good chunck of the 150 million budget.

I like the idea, it’s worked in other sports for years (Basketball, American Football, Baseball for example).