Briatore does not want war

The boss of the Renault team wanted to calm things down at a press conference, in the standoff which seems to be between FOTA, the team association, and the FIA. But remains firm on the teams' demands.

Published on 06/06/2009 à 12:57

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Flavio, how do you analyze the current situation?
I think it is very clear. For two weeks, everyone has been saying that it's war. There is no war. We don't want war. I think, quite simply, that we are aware of the responsibilities incumbent upon us. Responsibility towards our employees, towards lovers of Formula 1, to the public. And we don't want war with anyone.

You cannot deny that FOTA is putting pressure on the FIA. What are your intentions?
What we want is stability. We want a system that has always existed in Formula 1. We want Concorde agreements. We want a Formula 1 commission. We want to reduce costs for efficient F1. It?s not pleasant to hear that F1 will be held next season without Renault, sans BMW, sans Toyota. Nous ne faisons pas confiance à ces personnes. C?est également très mauvais pour nous d?entendre de telles choses, alors que nous sommes en train de négocier notre sponsoring.

Aren't you afraid that the general public will not understand these internal maneuvers?
We fear it. But we want a healthy Formula 1. We have this responsibility towards the public. There will be neither winner nor loser. We want one rule for everyone. New teams? Ok. But everyone must respect the same rules. We want an F1 with different engines: engines Ferrari, Renault engines? I don't think what we're asking is completely crazy. I think we have made huge steps forward in terms of cost reduction, to help everyone. And we will be very happy if new teams join us, with the same conditions and the same rules as us.