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STODDART: SIGNS “NOT GOOD” FOR MICHELIN TEAMS
Last Updated: Wednesday, 29, June, 2005, 12:55
Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has hinted that the outcome of FIA World Council hearing may be unfavourable to the seven Michelin teams which controversially withdrew from the US Grand Prix.
“The general feeling of the people I’ve spoken to is that it is not good, but I can’t elaborate on that,” said the Australian.
Stoddart also revealed that "the manufacturer teams are going to meet at five o'clock to discuss the situation at a hotel around the corner."
The team principals of McLaren, Renault, Williams, Toyota, Sauber, Red Bull and BAR have been called today to the HQ of world motorsport’s governing body at the Place de la Concorde in Paris to face charges of bringing the sport into disrepute.
They refused to race at Indianapolis on June 19 after tyre supplier Michelin said it couldn’t guarantee the safety of its tyres following several failures blamed on excessive load through the banked Turn 13.
That left just Ferrari, Jordan and Minardi on the grid, sparking a global outcry and a week of public debate between the teams, Michelin and the FIA as to who was at fault for the fiasco.
Potential penalties for the teams could include fines, loss of championship points or even a ban from the sport.
The bosses of the seven teams were all called in individually at 10-minute intervals to see the board of national motorsport chiefs that forms the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council throughout Wednesday morning.
They would not disclose to the waiting crowd of journalists what went on in the behind-closed-doors meeting as they left however.
“The comment is that there is no comment,” said Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
From ITV-F1.com
What the hell does "not good" mean????
I'd love to be in that meeting at 17:00, will we have a world championship?:o
[Edited on 29/6/2005 by minardirule]
Comments
And then we'll see who has the real power in F1.
Stoddart is in a pickle here. He wants to show solidarity with his 'mates', but risks in particular serious repercussions if he joins any boycott.
As has been mentioned already, I'm sure the 'rebels' and Michelin will use any draconian punishment as a reason to announce a breakaway.
PS why does BAR get singled out? Because of Imola?
"The seven Michelin teams have been found guilty on two of their five charges of damaging Formula One over the United States Grand Prix tyre fiasco, but must wait until September to find out what their penalty will be.
FIA president Max Mosley told a press conference in Paris on Wednesday, following a hearing of the FIA World Motor Sport Council, that the teams were guilty of not being in possession of suitable tyres and wrongfully refusing to start the race.
The teams were exonerated of charges of refusing to race subject to a speed limit, conspiring to make a demonstration by stopping after the parade lap and of not telling the race stewards.
Despite the decision of the FIA, however, Mosley claimed that the World Motor Sport Council wanted to wait until an extraordinary meeting on September 14 before making a judgement on the punishment for the teams.
Mosley said: "The WMSC decided to adjourn discussion of penalty to an extraordinary meeting, when it will be seen what steps have been taken to compensate the fans.
"And also what steps have been taken by the Michelin teams to make sure nothing like this ever happens again. The final decision will then be made after that."
Despite the FIA's intense criticisms of Michelin, the French tyre manufacturer cannot be punished because it is not an official competitor in F1 – only a supplier.
Mosley added: "The difficulty is the FIA has no relationship with the Michelin tyre company, so we are in no position to impose a penalty in Michelin.
"Judging from what we heard from the teams they would have found themselves in a very difficult position."
As we know, the US is too important a market for F1 and the manufacturors. There will be some compensation for the fans agreed to by all parties and that will be that.
I don't get it. Can someone enlighten me?
He can't go after Michelin - they can walk away when and if they please. He can't spank the teams hard as they will spank back.
But PS's prediction of doom and gloom seems to be another Cry Wolf story.
[Edited on 29/6/2005 by MCSF]
I'd expect intense efforts to buy off more teams to join the status quo before September 14. If the GPWC has it's payouts already structured, this will be pretty difficult considering Bernie is intent on keeping an inordinate amount. A way to accomplish it is to waaay overpay just to fracture unity and hope disintegration follows.
ya hit the nail on the head there Emmo............. Max has steped back from the cliff.....hope the 8 amigos are smart enough to do the same........
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=24990
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=24996
This is looking more and more like an excuse for a head to head by the minute.
I'll say it again I hope Paul has got us a great deal with the GPWC because we as a team are getting ever more entrenched on the breakaway side and if it all goes tits up it'll be difficult to get back.
It was still a watershed, though.
Max has cocked the gun and aimed it at the teams. That means that all the points that they score from now on will be in doubt until the end of the season, at which poijnt a quick calculation will be done, and enough poits removed from the teams by way of penalty sufficient to ensure TOIT wins the constructors.
The teams know this and will use the appeals process to back the FIA into a corner before the end of the season to either put up, or shut up.
Either way, F1 in its current form, with its current governance is finished.
What about poor Bernie? In the end, he found himself in neither camp and much the weaker for it. He has no control over the teams, and no control over the FIA. He has an agreement (in writing with TOIT, in principle with the other two) to structure the championship around a commercial arrangement that will never get a leg up with the balance of the teams. About the only compromise that he can manage is to try to sell the commercial rights to the GPWC. At least he'll get something for them.
But what else could happen? The Japanese must be fuming. This stuff is absolutely at odds with the way they prefer to be seen and one wonders how long they will put up with it.
And Renault? A new management team that is led by a darling that has no interest in motorsport? Just like Ford, that clock must be ticking.
Can TOIT justify their committment under an araangement that treats them like everyone else?
And of course, as our dear hack worries, what are all those household brands thinking. 'We're paying XX million bucks a year for our brand to be associated with the squabling of a bunch of rich brats?!'
I really think the changes will happen next year, rather than at the end of Concorde.
All in all, this sport has become ever so much more fun than it has been for a very long time.
Even if they end the season in 2nd place, they will have improved from last season !!!
Ford was different, because Jag was at the low end of the grid !!!! Well, there is a slight chance. They catched up with 18 points in the USA.
There is however a big chance they might end the season in 2nd or 3rd place !!!!!!
so once again if the teams take action it will effect those races out of the
European Sphere. Why not wait till the end of the year when the whole lot folds so you don't piss off those other countries (Brazil, Japan, China)