Is it interesting how much has changed between my last entry and this one (See here) back then the idea of a breakaway series seemed preposterous and many of us expected there to be some form of agreement in place by now.
Instead we are in the middle of what is undoubtedly the biggest crisis F1 has ever faced and one that could have massive repercussions for Formula one fans across the world, and could send tremors through the whole of motorsport, and it seems the chance of any winners comings out of this are practically zero.
The real shame is that this stopped being about F1 long a while back and now appears to have become a battle of egos, which in my opinion originates from an event that would appear to have very little to do with budget caps and technical regulations. This may surprise some of you but I am in fact talking about last years Sex scandal.
Ever since the News of the world published the story about what Max Mosley gets up to in his spare time he has been a laughing stock, not only in motor racing circles but in the eyes of the mass media, and ever since Honda pulled out of Formula one I believe Max has been trying to use the budget cap as some for of imaging salvaging opportunity. In many ways I can't blame him as he does deserve to be remembered for such achievements such as his contributions to safety rather than his slightly more unusual pastimes, unfortunately it appears he has let his personal motives get in the way of what is best for the sport and he is part of the reason why we have ended up in the mess we are in now.
This hasn't been helped by the FIA stance on the matter who after initially seeming willing to let there president run the show have now put there weight behind Max which has left him in a position similar to the one Davy Ryan put Lewis in back in Melbourne where he is unable to make any changes to his position as he risks coming under heavy fire from the FIA.
Of course in any disputes there are always to sides to the argument and the role of FOTA is just as important. Even though the FIA have, in the last few days, tried to make out that FOTA are the villains of the piece it is clear that in many peoples eyes FOTA have been more reasonable side in this argument and in general I would go along with this view.
From the start FOTA have made it clear they had they were not only representing themselves but also the views of F1 fans across the globe, which in general they have done. The other big reason for there support is that they have been more proactive in trying to find a solution, as well as trying to find ways to resolve the FIA fears of an exodus with a new concordat.
Compare this with the actions of the FIA who have not changed much since they came up with the £40 million budget cap apart from dropping the two tier system.
This in no way means they are without fault with the major issue being that each team has there own agenda with teams like Ferrari and Toyota opposed to any form of budget cap whereas teams like Brawn wishing that any cap imposed was higher that the proposed £40million. There is also the issue that teams like Toyota, Renault and BMW will walk away from the sport regardless of what, if any, agreement is made.
The other issue, as I mentioned earlier, is that this is now a battle of egos that goes far beyond a simple budget cap and FOTA decide to take this opportunity to try and change the way the sport was governed in order to make sure that there was far more stability in the suture, a noble intention but unfortunately that helped to fuel the flames of disagreement between the FIA and FOTA and has now left them in a similar position to Max where they cannot back down for the fear of losing face. Something which would be a bitter pill for the manufactures to swallow given that being humbled but the sports governing body in not going to help there brand in an already difficult market, and will also not please the sponsors who they represent.
It is a real shame that the positive mentality from those initial meetings in December has been lost by both parties as I honestly believe that if they had not got there personal agendas involved we could now be looking forward to a more sustainable form of F1 next season with a greater number of closely matched teams competing in a sport that would still be deemed the pinnacle of motorsport in the eyes of the general public.
In many ways I can see Friday being one of the darkest days in Formula Ones recent history where politics eventually succeeds in achieving something it has been threatening to do for sometime and manages to tear the heart and soul out of F1. With both sides no closer to a resolution they both seem to be more interested in blaming each other for a split whilst employing to school yard technique of trying to get the bigger kids to fight there battle for them with FOTA turning to the European manufactures and World motorsport council for help and Max Mosley the combined might of the FIA and Bernie. Regardless of whether the manufactures set up another series F1 will be left as a shadow of its former self with a relatively inexperienced grid still trying to find there feet and attempt to fill the massive shoes left by the combined technical and financial of the manufactures that has, in my opinion, raised F1 to another level and proved the old adage right of 'quality over quantity'.
As for the matter of what a rival series would mean for both sides, I believe that is something for another day and another rant.
