What if FOTA members left?

On May 29, the teams of Formula 1 FOTA members have all submitted their application files to the FIA. With this present, they have committed "under conditions" to the next Formula 1 World Championship. The FIA ​​remains surprisingly silent for the moment but will it remain so until June 12, the date of publication of the list of committed for the 2010 season? We can fear it. But then what will happen if the conditions sine qua non FOTA teams to enter the next championship are not respected? We tried to see it a little more clearly?

While the “circus” heads to Istanbul this weekend for the Turkish Grand Prix, behind the scenes, there is still excitement. At present, it appears that of the nine FOTA member teams (Williams having been excluded), none seems prepared to give in to the FIA ​​and its president Max Mosley. But this unity which John Howett speaks very well (see elsewhere) will it resist if the FIA ​​does not give an inch of ground? Several teams have threatened to leave Formula 1 and will not hesitate to do so, or so they claim. But not all of them have this intention.

Some like Toyota, Renault or BMW, which are experiencing some difficulties on the track at the start of the championship, could find in the behavior of the FIA ​​an excuse to withdraw at the end of the season. Furthermore, if other teams like Ferrari carried out their threat, a real upheaval would follow which would be difficult for both parties to manage. Ferrari, because of its aura, is a real engine for Formula 1. The discipline indeed needs the Scuderia as the Scuderia needs Formula 1. Without the firm of Maranello, it would lose much of its appeal. Both parties therefore have every interest in reaching an agreement, but are they prepared to cut back on their prerogative? Not sure.

To McLaren, the situation is a little more complicated following the various cases in which she has been the protagonist in recent times (Ferrari espionage affair, lie of?Hamilton,?). Here again, Mercedes derives some benefit from the competition and, by withdrawing, it could lose much more than gain. Finally as for the other teams: Brawn GP, ​​Force India and the two entities Red Bull, here again uncertainty remains.

If they win the title(s), the Brawn GP will hope to defend their crown in 2010 and it is hard to see Ross Brawn, the boss, leaving the team after having worked like hell to save hundreds of jobs at the start of the year. For its part, Red Bull will certainly be offered one entry on the grid but perhaps not two as is the case this season with Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. He will have to choose. Finally, Force India, through its boss Vijay Mallya, would like to stay for a few more years.

All these hypotheses will only really take shape in the coming weeks. Until then, both sides can still try to find compromises for the future. Because, if as John Howett describes “ the constructive and open atmosphere within the organization [him] gives great hope for the health of the discipline », it still has to continue to live.