FIA’s Max Mosley said after the meeting that there would be no compromise on the controversial regulation, adding that he doubted that Ferrari would quit F1.

“The idea that they are indispensable is nonsense,” said  Mosley. “It’s a little bit like poor Senna. He was the most important driver in 1994 but when he very sadly got killed Formula One went on. Lotus were very important once, so were Brabham.”

He went on to say that the teams had ‘gone off to reconsider’. Ferrari immediatley hit back at the FIA by seeking a legal injunction in France, to stop the ruling taking effect for the 2010 season.

Bernie Ecclestone

The three time Formula One world champion Sir Jackie Stewart has made F1 news in The Times today, saying that the time is right for the sports dictators Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley to step down and some new blood introduced to take the sport into the future.

Stewart is the first to acknowledge the contribution that Ecclestone and Mosley have made to Formula 1, by making the sport what it is today, but believes that the pair are also responsible for what he calls a ‘climate of disillusionment’ in Formula 1, and says that a reappraisal is long overdue.

“The era of big change is now essential because the sport has grown larger than either the governors or the commercial-rights holders. And that’s just a fact,” says Stewart who argues that Ecclestone, in particular, has milked the sport financially and has so much power and influence that “he could suffocate almost any performer who would dare to suggest that there must be change.”

Stewart is also critical of the fact that there is no natural successor to the current managerial stranglehold of Ecclestone and at 78 years old, that has to be wrong and he suggests that the sport would benefit from headhunting a CEO from outside of Formula 1.

Following recent F1 news of cutting running costs for 2009 and onwards, Stewart says that the problem is that too much revenue is finding it’s way into Ecclestone’s pockets and none is coming back into the sport.

It is no secret that many of the teams and racetracks are facing a torrid time in the current financial crisis, Honda’s withdrawal in December and the loss of racing in Canada and France announced last year bear testament to that fact, yet still the teams receive less than 50% of revenue. Racetrack organisers get very little in return from their huge investment often relying on ticket sales alone.

Like many others Stewart dismissed the recent medal proposal as being ‘non sensical an inappropriate for a professional sport.’

Magny-Cours

The (FFSA), The Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile, who are the motor racing federation in France, have issued a statement that the Formula One race that was scheduled for June 2009 at the Magny-Cours circuit has been cancelled.

The reasons are due to the economic situation although organisers are seeking another venue for the event as the President of the FFSA has said that it is unlikely that there will be a reprieve.

The statement read,

“For reasons related to the financial situation, the Federation Francaise du Sport Automobile (FFSA) has decided to cancel the Grand Prix of France.

The FFSA would like to thank all customers who attended the Grand Prix of France and have supported this international event in recent years.”

It has been announced today that the FIA are planning on creating a feeder series to Formula One and are inviting tenders. In a statement the FIA said,

“This Championship, called Formula Two, would be launched in 2009 and used as a an inexpensive platform to develop emerging driver talent for Formula One. It is hoped this can be achieved within a budget of €200,000 a car per season.”

They also announced,

“The FIA will enter into a wide-ranging consultation with the Formula One teams to examine plans for improved efficiency, including new technical regulations for the Championship. This will also involve a review of the governance of Formula One.”

The Formula Two was recognised from early on in the World Championship until it was replaced in by Formula 3000 in 1984, which inturn in 2004 became the GP2 series, formed by Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore.

The GP2 series however, are well over the budget planned for the Formula Two cars already, in fact an estimated €1.5 million per car per season.

Another issue discussed was the suggested increase to the entry fees into Formula One to cover equipment and services. However, the suggestion that the revised fees for 2009, which are currently €309,000 could be doubled, although not without consulting the teams first.

The 2009 schedule for the Formula One Championship has been released and does include France as was reported, with the French Sports Federations (FFSA) president Nicholas Deschuax saying,

“I’ve anticipated the the decision of the FFSA General Assembly by confirming the entry of the French Grand Prix on the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar as of 28th June. Of course, the General Assembly, which will meet tomorrow, Thursday, will have to confirm this decision, and also determine the future of the French Grand Prix from 2010 onwards.”

Provisional 2009 calendar:

29 March      Australia
5 April       Malaysia
19 April      Bahrain
10 May        Spain
24 May        Monaco
7 June        Canada
21 June       Great Britain
28 June       France
12 July       Germany
26 July       Hungary
9 August      Turkey
23 August     Europe (Valencia)
6 September   Italy
13 September  Belgium
27 September  Singapore
11 October    Japan
18 October    China
1 November    Brazil
15 November   Abu Dhabi

Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari, led the French Grand Prix from pole position today until he developed a problem with his exhaust letting his team-mate Felipe Massa through to take the victory.

It was Massa’s third win of the season and his eighth win of his career and he now leads the championship by two points ahead of Robert Kubica.

The Toyota driver Jarno Trulli took the final step on the podium, his first for the season with Heikki Kovalainen hot on his tail in the McLaren Mercedes.

Robert Kubica in the BMW Sauber took fifth followed by the Red Bull Renault man Mark Webber and the two Renault drivers Nelson Piquet and Fernando Alonso. Piquet snatched the spot from Alonso on the penultimate lap to claim his first points of the season.

In ninth position was Britain’s David Coulthard ahead of the Toyota driver Timo Glock .

Lewis Hamilton who started in thirteenth place because of his penalty, was penalised again during the race and had to perform a drive-through penalty after it was decided that the pass he made on Sebastien Vettel on the first lap was illegal. Hamilton collided with his team-mate Kovalainen earlier in the race but fortunately the cars weren’t badly damaged.

Jenson Button in the Honda, suffered a damaged front wing after running into the back of Sebastian Bourdais and retired from the race.

Here are the results;

Kimi Raikkonen is on pole position for tomorrow’s French Grand Prix in the Ferrari beating his team-mate, Felipe Massa, by just five-hundredths-of-a-second.

Lewis Hamilton made third place for McLaren Mercedes but his penalty from the incident at the pit exit in Montreal will see him in thirteenth on the grid.

Fernando Alonso in the Renault will start from third place ahead of Jarno Trulli in fourth for the Toyota team and Robert Kubica, winner of the last Grand Prix in the BMW Sauber.

Mark Webber for the Red Bull Renault is in sixth place ahead of his team-mate David Coulthard, in seventh followed by the second Toyota of Timo Glock.

Nelson Piquet for the Renault team starts from eighth alongside Nick Heidfeld for BMW Sauber with Sebastian Vettel in the Torro Rosso in tenth.

Here are the qualifying results;

1. Kimi Raikkonen (Finland) Ferrari 1m 16.449
2. Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 1:16.490
3. Lewis Hamilton (Britain) McLaren 1:16.693 *
4. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Renault 1:16.840
5. Jarno Trulli (Italy) Toyota 1:16.920
6. Heikki Kovalainen (Finland) McLaren 1:16.944 **
7. Robert Kubica (Poland) BMW Sauber 1:17.037
8. Mark Webber (Australia) RedBull – Renault 1:17.233
9. David Coulthard (Britain) RedBull – Renault 1:17.426
10. Timo Glock (Germany) Toyota 1:17.596
11. Nelson Piquet (Brazil) Renault 1:15.770
12. Nick Heidfeld (Germany) BMW Sauber 1:15.786
13. Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Toro Rosso – Ferrari 1:15.816
14. Sebastien Bourdais (France) Toro Rosso – Ferrari 1:16.045
15. Nico Rosberg (Germany) Williams – Toyota 1:16.235 *
16. Kazuki Nakajima (Japan) Williams – Toyota 1:16.243
17. Jenson Button (Britain) Honda 1:16.306
18. Rubens Barrichello (Brazil) Honda 1:16.330
19. Giancarlo Fisichella (Italy) Force India – Ferrari 1:16.971
20. Adrian Sutil (Germany) Force India – Ferrari 1:17.053

* = will be demoted 10 places on the grid

** = will be demoted five places on the grid

This weekend the Formula 1 teams travel to Europe for the French Grand Prix at Magny-Cour and the Toyota team will be paying a special tribute to the Panasonic Toyota Racing first Team Principle, Ove Andersson.

Ove Andersson was killed while participating in an historic rally last week in South Africa at the age of 70-years old.

The accident happened at the Milligan Vintage Trial when the classic Volvo car in which he was taking part in, crashed on a blind corner and suffered frontal damage.

The Swede was the driving force behind the Toyota Rally Championship successes and both of the Toyota cars will be featuring a black band around the monocoque in recognition of his achievements in motor racing.

The Toyota team are running with aerodynamic modifications this weekend and they are aiming for more points in France after fourth and fifth place in Canada.