The FIA ​​maintains its position

FIA officials insist they have not been swayed by threats from F1 teams to leave the category. The Federation wants to introduce the budget cap in 2010, but major names such as Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, BMW and Red Bull have objected to the new measures, particularly one involving a "two-speed system" which would allow teams to continue to spend as they please in the face of heavy technical limitations.

“Our position has not changed,” a Federation official told the British newspaper The Times. “The reasons for what we are doing are well documented.” To the German press, the message from the FIA ​​in the face of threats of abandonment was clear.

“In fact, what they (the teams) wrote is no different from what they had already communicated to us verbally,” a spokesperson told the publication Auto Motor und Sport. As the threat of a collective escape from the championship increases, some observers have highlighted Ferrari's involvement in the A1GP. Others believe that the Italian team would never have taken such a harsh official position against the FIA ​​if it did not have a valid alternative to F1 in mind. “This is not a war of press releases,” Piero Ferrari, son of the Maranello brand's founder Enzo, told the Guardian. “We're not kidding.” Regarding the possibility of an escape, Piero said: “For now we can't say anything else. The situation is evolving very quickly. Now let's say the ball is in Max's hands. We'll see."

It is interesting to note that even if Ferrari is simply bluffing, it has found allies. CONI has already shown its support for the team's position and now the mayor of Modena has also followed the same line. “I understand the decisions taken by the Ferrari Board of Directors in the face of regulations that are always changing and which do not help the company carry out its work,” said mayor Giorgio Pighi.

Andre' Cotta