FIA asks Ecclestone for new calendar

With the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) having written to the FIA stating that it did not want the calendar changed at such a late notice, the governing body has now responded and said it will react.

In a letter to FOTA published on the FIA website on Thursday, president Jean Todt said: "I have listened to your last-minute objections and have asked the Commercial Rights Holder to re-examine his calendar proposal, and if necessary, to resubmit a revised proposal to the World Council."

Despite his willingness to listen to the teams' concerns, Todt makes it clear in the letter that he believes the blame for the current situation lies not with the FIA but with Ecclestone having not sorted out the situation satisfactorily before last week's World Motor Sport Council meeting.

Todt wrote: "The Formula One World Championship is regulated by the Concorde Agreement, the provisions of which supersede the provision of the International Sporting Code (ISC).

"Under the Concorde Agreement, the responsibility to set the calendar and submit it to the FIA for approval rests solely with the Commercial Rights Holder (art 10 and Schedule 9 of the Concorde Agreement). Consequently, it is the responsibility of the Commercial Rights Holder to perform all necessary prior due diligence to secure his calendar proposal to the World Motor Sport Council."

Todt added that the issue of the Bahrain Grand Prix was also not a new problem - because it had been on the agenda since March 8.

Furthermore, Todt said that as well as Ecclestone proposing the changes to the calendar that have caused such upset, Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali also voted in favour of it.

He wrote: "It was the representative of the Commercial Rights Holder (who also represents the Formula One Constructors) who proposed the changes to the calendar.

"The delegrate of the F1 Commission, in which all the Teams are represented, approved the decision that you are now challenging."

Todt said that he hoped a solution to the controversy could be reached 'promptly.'

The full letter from Todt to FOTA can be found here: http://www.fia.com/en-GB/mediacentre/pressreleases/f1releases/2011/Documents/letter-to-fota-090611.pdf