vikiradTG2007
Forum Addict
Sit back and get some popcorn, because I'm going on a major rant here and a big description of the reasons why I think this is simply lessons which have not been learned properly, and, therefore, history repeating itself.
First of all, there has been an atmosphere of discontent in F1 for quite some time. The origins of it can probably be traced to the re-involvement of manufacturers as full-time constructors into F1. Renault, Toyota and Jaguar all came into F1 as full-fledged constructors in the space of two years (Ford purchased Stewart for 2000, Toyota started testing and development in 2001 and Benetton was fully acquired by Renault at the same time), while Mercedes-Benz and BMW had enormous interests in McLaren and Williams. The manufacturers were pretty unhappy from the start due to the distribution of the prize funds under the Concorde Agreement, the infamous split where a large percentage of the cash goes to Bernie.
Back in the old days, the seeds of discontent began to be sown early on, when the FOCA was formed to negotiate better terms for the teams. Ironically, from '73 onwards, the man who was in charge of the organisation was... the very same Bernie we knowand "love". The major upsets came in the form of ground effects, which were exploited to the max by the Cosworth-powered FOCA teams (Lotus, Brabham, McLaren, Williams were the core four), and at the same time, the loathed "yellow teapot" Renault RS01 which was to throw F1 into a turbocharged revolution, while, at the same time, heralding a return by the manufacturers. It was going to be a classic grandee vs. garagiste conflict.
Now, as in the old days, it was a series of regulation changes which brought the stand-off to the boiling point and to all-out war. Back then, FISA, ostensibly on the side of the manufacturers, especially since they included the French Renault team, and also because FISA was run by the suspiciously patriotic Jean-Marie Balestre, introduced a series of rule changes meant to tip the balance in the favour of the three manufacturer teams (Renault, Ferrari, Alfa), who were all going on the route of forced induction if they hadn't already. Those rules were a 50kg increase in the weight limit, from 575 to 625kg, disallowing the teams to use commercial names for their cars (annoying especially for the JPS-sponsored Lotus and Marlboro-sponsored McLaren), and, the final nail in the coffin, or so Balestre thought, banning skirts and imposing a 60mm minimum ground clearance regulation, in order to remove the massive advantage that Williams and Brabham, by that time, had in terms of ground effect, and via that, chassis handling. The regulations were forced through by FISA, because of "safety concerns", and Balestre expelled FOCA's representatives from the F1 Technical Commission, in order to get his own way. The most telling quote from one of Balestre's conferences was... "The FISA exerts full control over all the championships that belong to it, and which, at the present moment, are subject to a takeover by certain associations foreign to the FIA."
At this moment, the teams find themselves at loggerheads with the FIA because it forced through, without consultations with the Technical and Sporting Working Groups (which include representatives from the teams), the budget cap regulation and the two-tier system, which effectively splits the sport into two classes; basically what Balestre tried to do in the late '70s, only now in a much more un-covert way.
However, in both events, it is a case of the split in funds and a matter of "who controls what" in F1. The teams, both then and now, were trying to have a larger say in matters which concerned them directly, both in terms of budgets and in terms of regulations. FOCA's weapon against the FISA back then was blatantly dodging the regulations by running cars that were legal... at times, but exploited the most dodgy loopholes in the regulations. This gave birth to the hydraulic ride height adjustment system, thought up by Gordon Murray for the Brabham BT49, the innovative (and banned) twin-chassis Lotus 88, and then, at the beginning of '82, when the turbocharged cars were starting to gain more reliability and even more power, "water-cooled brakes" which actually meant the FOCA teams' cars ran for 5 laps while cooling their brakes... then ran underweight all race long, topping up the coolant at the end. Costly developments forced upon them by necessity and unfriendly regulations. This time, I can see the teams circumventing the cost cap rule, signing up for the cost-capped regulations but spending for other projects, which just... erm... happen to be related to both F1 and either the road or another form of racing.
The next similarity which might be observed, but we haven't had a chance so far to, would be boycotts. The first "battle" of the FISA-FOCA war was at the 1980 Spanish GP, when FOCA boycotted practice, but things got so bad that King Juan Carlos ordered the organisers to go ahead with the race, and the organisers found themselves contractually bound to FOCA and literally escorted the whole Ferrari, Renault and Alfa teams off the Jarama track AT GUNPOINT! A more infamous event was the 1981 South African GP, which ended up as a Formula Libre (not a non-championship) event after a series of events, but the most poignant boycott for everyone must have been the 1982 San Marino GP, when just 14 cars started the race.
Right now, we haven't had a true boycott since the shambles at the 2005 USGP. But if this situation escalates, expect the whole 2010 season to be boycotted. After all, Mosley is using an old weapon, which he used in 2006 and which Balestre employed in 1980: forcing a deadline for entry to the Championship, and entering it means complying to the FIA's regulations.
Ferrari have threatened to pull out, Red Bull and Toyota as well. That's four teams already. BMW, Renault and Mercedes might be looking the same way, which means 14 cars out next year.
We have two weeks until the 2010 WC entry deadline. This has potential to degenerate into something even more earth-shattering than FISA+FOCA=FIASCO.
Watch this space. This is going to be messy.
First of all, there has been an atmosphere of discontent in F1 for quite some time. The origins of it can probably be traced to the re-involvement of manufacturers as full-time constructors into F1. Renault, Toyota and Jaguar all came into F1 as full-fledged constructors in the space of two years (Ford purchased Stewart for 2000, Toyota started testing and development in 2001 and Benetton was fully acquired by Renault at the same time), while Mercedes-Benz and BMW had enormous interests in McLaren and Williams. The manufacturers were pretty unhappy from the start due to the distribution of the prize funds under the Concorde Agreement, the infamous split where a large percentage of the cash goes to Bernie.
Back in the old days, the seeds of discontent began to be sown early on, when the FOCA was formed to negotiate better terms for the teams. Ironically, from '73 onwards, the man who was in charge of the organisation was... the very same Bernie we know
Now, as in the old days, it was a series of regulation changes which brought the stand-off to the boiling point and to all-out war. Back then, FISA, ostensibly on the side of the manufacturers, especially since they included the French Renault team, and also because FISA was run by the suspiciously patriotic Jean-Marie Balestre, introduced a series of rule changes meant to tip the balance in the favour of the three manufacturer teams (Renault, Ferrari, Alfa), who were all going on the route of forced induction if they hadn't already. Those rules were a 50kg increase in the weight limit, from 575 to 625kg, disallowing the teams to use commercial names for their cars (annoying especially for the JPS-sponsored Lotus and Marlboro-sponsored McLaren), and, the final nail in the coffin, or so Balestre thought, banning skirts and imposing a 60mm minimum ground clearance regulation, in order to remove the massive advantage that Williams and Brabham, by that time, had in terms of ground effect, and via that, chassis handling. The regulations were forced through by FISA, because of "safety concerns", and Balestre expelled FOCA's representatives from the F1 Technical Commission, in order to get his own way. The most telling quote from one of Balestre's conferences was... "The FISA exerts full control over all the championships that belong to it, and which, at the present moment, are subject to a takeover by certain associations foreign to the FIA."
At this moment, the teams find themselves at loggerheads with the FIA because it forced through, without consultations with the Technical and Sporting Working Groups (which include representatives from the teams), the budget cap regulation and the two-tier system, which effectively splits the sport into two classes; basically what Balestre tried to do in the late '70s, only now in a much more un-covert way.
However, in both events, it is a case of the split in funds and a matter of "who controls what" in F1. The teams, both then and now, were trying to have a larger say in matters which concerned them directly, both in terms of budgets and in terms of regulations. FOCA's weapon against the FISA back then was blatantly dodging the regulations by running cars that were legal... at times, but exploited the most dodgy loopholes in the regulations. This gave birth to the hydraulic ride height adjustment system, thought up by Gordon Murray for the Brabham BT49, the innovative (and banned) twin-chassis Lotus 88, and then, at the beginning of '82, when the turbocharged cars were starting to gain more reliability and even more power, "water-cooled brakes" which actually meant the FOCA teams' cars ran for 5 laps while cooling their brakes... then ran underweight all race long, topping up the coolant at the end. Costly developments forced upon them by necessity and unfriendly regulations. This time, I can see the teams circumventing the cost cap rule, signing up for the cost-capped regulations but spending for other projects, which just... erm... happen to be related to both F1 and either the road or another form of racing.
The next similarity which might be observed, but we haven't had a chance so far to, would be boycotts. The first "battle" of the FISA-FOCA war was at the 1980 Spanish GP, when FOCA boycotted practice, but things got so bad that King Juan Carlos ordered the organisers to go ahead with the race, and the organisers found themselves contractually bound to FOCA and literally escorted the whole Ferrari, Renault and Alfa teams off the Jarama track AT GUNPOINT! A more infamous event was the 1981 South African GP, which ended up as a Formula Libre (not a non-championship) event after a series of events, but the most poignant boycott for everyone must have been the 1982 San Marino GP, when just 14 cars started the race.
Right now, we haven't had a true boycott since the shambles at the 2005 USGP. But if this situation escalates, expect the whole 2010 season to be boycotted. After all, Mosley is using an old weapon, which he used in 2006 and which Balestre employed in 1980: forcing a deadline for entry to the Championship, and entering it means complying to the FIA's regulations.
Ferrari have threatened to pull out, Red Bull and Toyota as well. That's four teams already. BMW, Renault and Mercedes might be looking the same way, which means 14 cars out next year.
We have two weeks until the 2010 WC entry deadline. This has potential to degenerate into something even more earth-shattering than FISA+FOCA=FIASCO.
Watch this space. This is going to be messy.