Are the Wheels Coming Off of Formula One?

Formula One racing is a bit like evolution governed by an appeals committee: Winning races has long been relied on engineering innovations that give a race car that extra microsecond advantage, while the teams left in the dust cry foul and demand that the sport’s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile , rule those innovations out. FIA supremo Max Mosley had hoped to tamp down what he calls the sport’s “financial arms race” by imposing a $66 billion annual spending cap on teams, but instead he appears to have provoked a walkout that could see some of the sport’s major names, such as Ferrari and McLaren, create a rival championship with fewer restrictions — and take the sport’s lucrative TV audience with them.

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Formula One dispute set for court battle

Motorsport governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), plan to sue Ferrari and the seven other Formula One teams threatening to set up a breakaway championship next season, for breach of contract. Following meetings between FIA president Max Mosley and F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone at Silverstone on Friday, the FIA has now decided legal action is their only recourse. Confirming their intentions, a statement read: “The FIA’s lawyers have now examined the threat by the eight-member Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) to begin a breakaway series.

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Ferrari seek court injunction over F1 rules

Ferrari have applied to a French court for an injunction against the proposed changes in Formula One, according to FIA president Max Mosley. Ferrari are among the teams who have threatened to withdraw from Formula One at the end of this season unless fundamental revisions are made to the new regulations

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