Renault and McLaren threatened boycott

History would only be an eternal start again... Bernie Ecclestone admitted to the British daily The Times that the Renault and McLaren-Mercedes teams had threatened to boycott the first Grand Prix of the season during the negotiations of the new Concorde Agreement.

Published on 24/03/2009 à 18:07

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According to the boss of the FOM, Flavio Briatore and Ron Dennis threatened not to send their cars to Melbourne if the share of the sums retained by Ecclestone was not paid to the teams.

“Flavio said he wouldn't put his cars on the plane and Ron Dennis followed,” says Bernie. “According to them, the rest of the FOTA teams would have followed suit. But it was a bluff. I took my phone and asked to cancel the planes. I told them that I preferred to cancel everything even if the price was the same? »

Selon The Times, Flavio Briatore et Ron Dennis se sont pliés aux conditions de Bernie Ecclestone et sont repartis sans un sou supplémentaire. Quant au représentant de l?équipe Toyota, John Howett, également présent, il n?a pas participé à cette menace selon Ecclestone.

The big financier of the F1 wanted the teams to first sign the new Concorde agreement before paying the money in question.

Several strikes and boycotts enlivened the small world of F1 in the early 80s.