Manufacturers still plan rival series, says Todt

Engine manufacturers are still planning to run a rival series after the expiration of the Concorde Agreement, the document that governs Formula 1, in 2007, according to Ferrari team boss Jean Todt

Todt's comments come despite the FIA, the sport's governing body, announcing this week that a 100-year commercial agreement with SLEC, F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone's trust that holds Grand Prix racing's TV rights, has been made.

The sport's European manufacturers, Fiat (Ferrari), BMW, Ford (Jaguar), Mercedes-Benz and Renault, were unhappy with the commercial control of the sport falling into the hands of German media companies Kirch and EMTV, who recently secured 75 percent of SLEC.

Despite assurances from Ecclestone and the FIA, they fear the German media giant will take the championship off terrestrial television and onto a smaller audience on digital, pay-per-view television. But the latest news appears to have done little to ease their fears.

"The position of the manufacturers is up to Mr (Paolo) Cantarella, the chairman of the European group of constructors (and boss of Fiat), and he is running one action with the intention of running another championship at the expiration of the Concorde agreement," said Todt.

"I don't think you should say it will be a constructors' championship because if something will happen it will be a championship probably with the same players.

"Probably it will just change the name, but in my opinion the championship will stay the same just with a different organisation," he added. "It will be the same principle and from what I understand under the same FIA sporting and technical rules."