Bernie demands independent F1 rules maker

[german tony]

Surely the FIA is independent?

Or is there something we are not being told?

http://pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?f...

[Jungles]

I'm guessing by "independent", he means an entity that he controls.

[mattikake]

Or maybe he's highlighting the absurdity of the teams (FOTA) having a say in the rules? No other sport is like this. There is a independant rule maker and teams either compete with them or they don't take part.

[Fire99]

I would say FIA but that's got so big it doesn't know bottom from elbow.

[Scuffers]

mattikake said:

Or maybe he's highlighting the absurdity of the teams (FOTA) having a say in the rules? No other sport is like this. There is a independant rule maker and teams either compete with them or they don't take part.

Sorry?

• most* motorsport regs are formulated over time from the wishes of the entrants etc.

Berni's issue is that he as head of FOCA can't deal with the teams having left FOCA (him) from representing them to setting up FOTA

now, all this would never have happened if it was not the for the direction the FIA took under lord spankie.

At the end of the day, as when FOCA was setup, there is no F1 without the entrants.

[mattikake]

Scuffers said:

mattikake said:

Or maybe he's highlighting the absurdity of the teams (FOTA) having a say in the rules? No other sport is like this. There is a independant rule maker and teams either compete with them or they don't take part.

Sorry?

• most* motorsport regs are formulated over time from the wishes of the entrants etc.

It was a deliberately contentious statement.

AFAIK other motorsports don't have something quite as political as the concorde agreement where the teams must effectively unanimously agree to a seasons regs before it can go ahead. Sure there may be recommendations and requests from entrants to governing bodies, but not quite on the same level as the ability to gang-up on a governing body 'or else'.

IMO it's therefore impossible to have fair and sporting competition when the participants can effectively veto rule changes that don't favour them - there is the overt PR face wanting to 'improve the spectacle' for e.g. and then there is personal agenda that wants to win... such as budget restrictions being the most recent issue. It will always stand in the way of fair competition, but of course, 'fair' competition is not an underlying principle of F1...

F1 has been caught up in an identity crisis since... 1981/ever? It's become a half-way house between a sport and a rich mans plaything and it really needs to decide which it wants to be without the main players leaving in a huff. A bit of a catch-22.

Scuffers said:

Berni's issue is that he as head of FOCA can't deal with the teams having left FOCA (him) from representing them to setting up FOTA

Possibly. It's hard to know exactly what does on in Bernie's head, if anything at all these days. As said, everyone has a personal agenda, which invariably stands in the way of doing what is right.

Scuffers said:

now, all this would never have happened if it was not the for the direction the FIA took under lord spankie.

Sorry? All this what? MM had the right idea, but he went about it in the wrong way - as a heavy-handed tyrant. It probably needs the best diplomat the world has ever seen.

Scuffers said:

At the end of the day, as when FOCA was setup, there is no F1 without the entrants.

And don't the entrants just know it...

Edited by mattikake on Saturday 17th July 14:44

[german tony]

's just possible that Bernie is firing a warning shot across the FIA's bows.