FOTA: The Formula One teams association has been dissolved

After weeks of speculation about the future of the organization, the teams that were still part of it made the decision to shut it down.

Oliver Weingarten, general secretary of FOTA, said: “I can confirm that FOTA has been disbanded and its members have reassessed their requirements in the face of a changing political and commercial landscape in Formula 1.”

FOTA was formed in 2008 in an attempt to give teams a single voice in their discussions with the FIA ​​and Bernie Ecclestone's F1 regarding trade negotiations.

It had the commitment of all the teams on the grid and unity had proven in those years to be a major concern for former FIA president Max Mosley and Ecclestone.

FOTA's unity fell apart at the end of 2011, when Red Bull, Ferrari and Sauber decided to leave the organization after disagreements over cost-cutting measures.

FOTA moved forward without them, under the chairmanship of McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh, and continued to work for all teams in a number of areas, including testing arrangements and fan forums.

However, changes in the paddock – including the situation at Whitmarsh, sidelined by McLaren – and new structures such as Strategy Group F1 as part of the more recent Concorde Agreement, have effectively compromised the future of FOTA.

Ultimately, the teams decided that the association no longer made sense to continue to exist.