Stoddart urges teams not to lose focus
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has urged his fellow team bosses not to lose sight of their recent unified efforts to help improve the sport and cut costs, despite the shockwaves sent through grand prix racing by Ferrari's surprise decision to commit to Formula 1 until the end of 2012
Ferrari's unilateral decision to sign-up to F1's future has delivered a massive blow to the manufacturers' hopes of leading a breakaway GPWC championship from the start of 2008, and fuelled suspicions that the reigning world champion team does receive special treatment from the sport's bosses.
But amid claims that Ferrari was given a $100 million (£54 million) sweetener to sign up to F1 and all but kill off the GPWC, there are fears that rival outfits may now be offered less than equal terms to stay in F1 - and that their bargaining position has been weakened because the GPWC has lost potentially its biggest draw.
On the back of recent efforts among the non-Ferrari teams to put together a package of cost-cuts and testing restrictions, Stoddart believes it is absolutely vital that the general feeling of unity is now not lost despite the latest bombshell and that the outfits do not split apart in their plans for the future.
Speaking exclusively to autosport.com, Stoddart said: "Hats off to Bernie. In kind of a way, whether it is right or wrong, it is good because at least we are moving forwards.
"But I think we really need to not lose focus of what the other nine teams have been doing, which is to keep the pact together. It would be easy with an announcement like this to get distracted from all the gut-breaking work we have done for the last month or two, and I would not like to see that happen. I will be fighting really hard to make sure we don't."
Autosport.com understands that Ecclestone will present teams with details of the financial package that he is willing to offer them at a meeting in London next Tuesday (January 25). Ecclestone has openly said he is keen for a deal to be hammered out before the start of the 2005 season
"We want to have this all over with before the teams set off for the first race. Absolutely," Ecclestone told The Times on Thursday. "This is not a case of seeing the GPWC off. What they were promising was nonsense.
"It was all about people looking for jobs, a nice little earner for certain people, with the manufacturers giving them money to set up. Now the teams will be able to go to their sponsors and tell them we have a stable future and everything is fine."
And although it appears at face value that the teams are now backed into a corner, with one leading source telling autosport.com that Ecclestone's offer will be a simple 'take it or leave it' with no room for negotiation, Stoddart is optimistic that even the smaller independent outfits may not be complete losers.
"If the GPWC really get annoyed, they could say, 'If the nine other teams sign up to this then let's forget Ferrari, they can go and play with themselves. We will offer the other teams a deal like they have never seen before.'
"This could then result in the worst thing possible for the sport, which could be an IRL-CART type split situation, or it could force Bernie to offer the teams a good deal to make sure it is not viable to go the other way. Either way, the winners will be the smaller teams."
Analysis: 'Prof' Watkins Hangs Up his Helmet
Analysis: Ferrari First, On and Off the Track
Daytona 24: Westbrook’s Ganassi Cadillac tops second practice
Richard Westbrook ensured Cadillac’s new V-LMDh snagged top spot in second practice for the Daytona 24 Hours, ahead of the #10 Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura.
Auer suffers back injury in Daytona 24 practice shunt
Mercedes driver Lucas Auer has suffered a back injury and been taken to hospital following a violent crash in opening practice for this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours.
Daytona 24: WTR Acura tops heavily interrupted FP1
Five red flags disrupted the first practice session for this weekend's Daytona 24 Hours, while Filipe Albuquerque put the Wayne Taylor Racing Andretti Autosport Acura on top.
Pedrosa to make KTM MotoGP wildcard outing in Spanish GP
Dani Pedrosa will make his first MotoGP race start since the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix with a wildcard entry for KTM at this year’s Spanish GP in April.
The crucial tech changes F1 teams must adapt to in 2023
Changes to the regulations for season two of Formula 1's ground-effects era aim to smooth out last year’s troubles and shut down loopholes. But what areas have been targeted, and what impact will this have?
Are these the 50 quickest drivers in F1 history?
Who are the quickest drivers in Formula 1 history? LUKE SMITH asked a jury of experienced and international panel of experts and F1 insiders. Some of them have worked closely with F1’s fastest-ever drivers – so who better to vote on our all-time top 50? We’re talking all-out speed here rather than size of trophy cabinet, so the results may surprise you…
One easy way the FIA could instantly improve F1
OPINION: During what is traditionally a very quiet time of year in the Formula 1 news cycle, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem has been generating headlines. He’s been commenting on massive topics in a championship that loves them, but also addressing necessary smaller changes too. Here we suggest a further refinement that would be a big boon to fans
How can McLaren keep hold of Norris?
Lando Norris is no longer the young cheeky-chappy at McLaren; he’s now the established ace. And F1's big guns will come calling if the team can’t give him a competitive car. Here's what the team needs to do to retain its prize asset
What difference did F1's fastest pitstops of 2022 make?
While a quick pitstop can make all the difference to the outcome of a Formula 1 race, most team managers say consistency is more important than pure speed. MATT KEW analyses the fastest pitstops from last season to see which ones – if any – made a genuine impact
When F1 ‘holiday’ races kept drivers busy through the winter
Modern Formula 1 fans have grown accustomed to a lull in racing during winter in the northern hemisphere. But, as MAURICE HAMILTON explains, there was a time when teams headed south of the equator rather than bunkering down in the factory. And why not? There was fun to be had, money to be made and reputations to forge…
What Porsche social media frenzy says about F1’s manufacturer allure
Porsche whipped up a frenzy thanks to a cryptic social media post last week and, although it turned out to be a false alarm, it also highlighted why manufacturers remain such an important element in terms of the attraction that they bring to F1. It is little wonder that several other manufacturers are bidding for a slice of the action
Why the new Williams boss shouldn’t avoid ‘Mercedes B-team’ comparisons
OPINION: Williams has moved to replace the departed Jost Capito by appointing former Mercedes chief strategist James Vowles as its new team principal. But while he has sought to play down the idea of moulding his new squad into a vision of his old one, some overlap is only to be expected and perhaps shouldn't be shied away from
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.