FOTA lobs ball into Mosley’s court

The nine FOTA teams put in their entries for the 2010 World Championship yesterday, as predicted, on the basis that the 2009 rules will be carried over in 2010. They have agreed to significant cost-cutting between themselves for te next three years, with a system that they believe will preserve the technical DNA of F1 …

So, where are we at?

Later today the details of a settlement in Formula 1 will be announced, with at least eight teams putting in their entries for 2010. There is speculation that Toyota will not, having decided to use the argument to withdraw from the sport. It is hard to imagine that this is the case as the company …

Good news, by all accounts

Multiple sources are reporting that a deal has been struck in the fight over the Formula 1 budget cap, with Max Mosley pulling back on his demands slightly, and the teams backing off on some of their threats. It seems that the $60m budget cap will be delayed 12 months, but that teams will agree …

Meanwhile in the real world

I think that we tend to live rather insulated lives in Formula 1 and it is always good to hear what people are saying on the other side of the fence, in the real world. It is true to say that most outside observers rarely write positively about the sport, but at the same time, …

FOTA suspends Williams F1

The news that Williams F1 has been suspended from membership of the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) is unfortunate and it would probably have been wiser for the other members of the organisation to try to understand the position in which Williams found itself and give the team as much support as possible. "FOTA’s decision, …

A thought about the new teams

There is a reason why Max Mosley is pushing the existing F1 teams to enter the World Championship this week. They all wish to extend the deadline to a normal entry date in the autumn. If the deadline is extended then the supposed new teams will have to wait to see if they can get …

On the road

Yesterday I spent the day on the road, winding my way from Beaulieu sur Mer up to my home, just to the north of Paris. It was around 1000km and after a long night on Sunday, it was a very long day. But, it is such a pleasure to wake up on the Riviera, have …

Williams puts in entry

Williams F1 has filed an entry for 2010, arguing that it has no choice but to do so as it has a binding contract with Formula One Management. The teams says it is still supporting the Formula One Teams' Association. This will be a tricky balancing act.

The future of Fernando Alonso and other stories

I have believed for quite a long time now that Fernando Alonso will race for Ferrari in the not too distant future. It is not rocket science: ask most folk in the paddock who they think is the best all round driver in F1 and most will say Alonso. Thus Ferrari must want him. In …

Pole for Button

Jenson Button takes pole from Kimi Raikkonen and Barrichello. Vettel is fourth for Red Bull, ahead of Felipe Massa, Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen, Fernando Alonso, Kazuki Nakajima and Mark Webber