While a rather processional French Grand Prix was being played out on the Magny-Cours circuit, many of Formula 1’s senior figures were occupying themselves with the latest twists in the long-running saga over engine rules.

With FIA president Max Mosley having made it clear that the teams had until 4pm on Sunday to agree on an alternative to a full engine freeze, there was frenzied activity in the run-up to the race.


First the Grand Prix Manufacturers Association issued a statement claiming to have secured the backing of all six car manufacturers in F1 (Renault, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Toyota and BMW) for the so-called ‘Indianapolis proposal’.


This would water down the engine freeze by allowing annual updates to selected components, thus preserving F1’s appeal as a technological proving ground, a key concern of several of the manufacturers.


The statement said 10 of the 12 F1 teams that will take part in the 2008 season endorsed the Indianapolis proposal.


In addition, the GPMA proposed to create a 40 million euro ‘fighting fund’ to help the independent teams with their engine contracts.

“This initiative is without precedent in motorsport and represents a significant effort to reach out to all teams, in the best interest of the sport,”

the statement said.


However, Mosley made it clear he would only accept a partial engine freeze in the context of a larger kitty of 70 million euros, having already rejected the lower figure at a meeting with the manufacturers on Saturday.

Follow up:

Shortly afterwards the GPMA circulated a question-and-answer document in which it insisted that the 40 million euro offer was the “absolute maximum” it could commit.


The statement also hinted that a unilateral move by the FIA to enforce a full engine freeze could prompt the GPMA to take legal action.


It cited a letter from Mosley saying that the sporting regulations could be changed by a majority vote and would only be overruled if they were judged to be against the interests of F1 as a whole.


The FIA fired back with a statement saying it had been presented with a new – and higher – offer from BMW director and GPMA chief Professor Burkhard Goeschel “on behalf of the GPMA”.


The governing body asked the GPMA to “clarify this rather confusing situation” but said that in any event it would not compromise on its own proposal for a full engine freeze.

“The result of all this is that the rules will stay as published and agreed,” it said.
“As always, all agreements, including the Concorde Agreement, will be adhered to and enforced.
“Some members of the GPMA are apparently still having difficulty with the word ‘proposal’ and also with understanding that starving the independent teams of competitive engines is not in the interests of Formula 1.”

Then, adding to the confusion, Renault distanced itself from the line being taken by the GPMA, saying that it had not been consulted about the earlier statement and did not endorse it.

“This morning, a press statement was released by the GPMA concerning the future engine format for Formula 1,” the French manufacturer said in a press release.
“Renault and the RenaultF1 Team wish to clarify that this statement was released without their agreement, and that neither the manufacturer nor the team consider themselves to be party to it.”

At the time of writing a full engine freeze still appears the most likely outcome, but no doubt the arguments will not end there...


Source: iTV-f1



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