Buzzin F1 – Formula One Blog

Up In The Air With Ferrari

This week the Ferrari F1 team went to court in Paris for an injunction to stop the controversial optional £40 million budget cap which is to be introduced in 2010.

Ferrari, Toyota, Renault and the two Red Bull teams have all threatened to walk if the regulations for the 2010 cost cutting budget is not rewritten.

Although all teams are expected to compete under the same regulations, the teams operating under the budget cap scheme would be given greater technical freedom than the unrestricted budget teams.  Three teams have today said that they would welcome the cost cutting scheme for 2010 onwards, they are Williams, Force India and BMW.

With new teams already taking an interest in competing in the 2010 championship, e.g. Lola and USF1, the Ferrari team believe that the newcomers would reduce F1 to the level of a junior series.

Bernie Ecclestone has stated his concern over the situation and would be surprised if many of the teams submitted their entries before the May 29 deadline for next seasons championship.  He doubts there is an easy solution to the crisis and he is worried.

Kimi Raikkonen has already told reporters his feelings on the Ferrari teams future;

“I’m pretty sure we are going to disappear from Formula One.   They will find something for me to do since they still have a contract with me.  They are racing in many other categories.”

Fernando Alonso, who has been rumoured to be going to the Ferrari team in 2010/2011, has said;

“If everything is not settled, Formula One is finished and the sport will turn into GP2 with a little more pace, but there won’t be any interest in it as an event.  I don’t want to drive for a small team.

If the seven teams go, Formula One disappears.  With unknown drivers, it’s over.  You’ll lose the ten best drivers in the world.”

I for one would relish the introduction of new teams, the sport has become boring with the majority of the races being dominated by three or four teams.  This season it has certainly become a little more interesting with the Brawn GP team being one of the front runners but even that is now becoming dull.

We want to see racing as it was before, with all drivers on a level playing field, and with the best driver winning the race rather than the car with the most money spent on it.

I don’t always agree with Ecclestone, but I do feel that this time he may have got it right, let’s hope he doesn’t back down to Ferrari’s threats and that we get the drama and thrills of watching the Formula One championship returning to it’s roots.