U.K.: WITH FORMULA ONE SEASON ABOUT TO START SOME TEAM BOSSES STILL NOT HAPPY WITH TOUGH NEW RULES CHANGES ENFORCED BY GOVERNING BODY THE FIA
Record ID:
584700
U.K.: WITH FORMULA ONE SEASON ABOUT TO START SOME TEAM BOSSES STILL NOT HAPPY WITH TOUGH NEW RULES CHANGES ENFORCED BY GOVERNING BODY THE FIA
- Title: U.K.: WITH FORMULA ONE SEASON ABOUT TO START SOME TEAM BOSSES STILL NOT HAPPY WITH TOUGH NEW RULES CHANGES ENFORCED BY GOVERNING BODY THE FIA
- Date: 28th October 2002
- Summary: HEATHROW AIRPORT, LONDON, UK (OCTOBER, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. MCLAREN TEAM PRINCIPAL RON DENNIS WALKING TO HILTON HOTEL WHERE MEETING IS BEING HELD 2. EDDIE JORDAN, FOUNDER OF JORDAN TEAM ARRIVING 3. FIA PRESIDENT MAX MOSLEY WALKING INTO HILTON HOTEL 4. JEAN TODT, FERRARI PRINCIPAL, WALKING IN 5. FORMULA ONE BOSS BERNIE ECCLESTONE WALKING IN 6. ECCLESTONE AND MOSLEY ANNOUNCING RULE CHANGES 7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOSLEY ANNOUNCING QUALIFYING WILL BE ONE FLYING LAP FOR EACH CAR WITH RUNNING ORDER ON FRIDAY TO FOLLOW THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND ON SATURDAY TO FOLLOW FRIDAY'S FASTEST TIMES HEATHROW, LONDON, UK (JANUARY 15, 2003) (REUTERS) 8. FIA PRESIDENT MAX MOSLEY WALKING INTO HILTON HOTEL AT HEATHROW AIRPORT 9. FORMULA ONE BOSS BERNIE ECCLESTONE WALKING IN 10. BAR TEAM PRINCIPAL DAVID RICHARDS WALKING IN 11. MOSLEY BRIEFING REPORTERS IN THE EARLY EVENING AFTER THE MEETING FINISHED 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MOSLEY SAYS: "Well the most important elements are that we are eliminating telemetry to the car from the pit and so on, communications of that kind to the driver and the car. We've got rid of the spare car, there will be no scrutineering of a spare car, we have also brought in a provision that will stop them making any special car for qualifying, after qualifying the car will go straight into parc ferme and then in the longer term we have agreed we are not only going to have one engine per weekend in 2004, but in 2005 it will go up to two weekends and in 2006 in all probability it will go up to six weekends per engine which will reduce the costs of the engines dramatically." 13. JORDAN TEAM PRINCIPAL EDDIE JORDAN 14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JORDAN SAYS: "Well there were a lot of things that went on today and I want to be calm about it because from what I heard over a lot of hours this is by far the most positive meeting in my 13 years of grand prix racing." 15. (SOUNDBITE) (English) BAR PRINCIPAL DAVID RICHARDS SAYS: "A lot of the issues that the fans have been concerned about, the traction control areas and other aspects of driver aids have been agreed to be taken off the cars certainly by 2004 and quite possibly well before that. It's such a positive message that Formula One is getting its house in order and sorting itself out." UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION (FEBRUARY 20, 2003) (BHP VIDEO NEWS RELEASE) 16. RON DENNIS AND FRANK WILLIAMS (IN WHEELCHAIR) 17. (Soundbite) (English) WILLIAMS: "We consider that the Concorde agreement which is a tripartite contract - a legal document - has been sidestepped deliberately by Mr Mosley the president of the FIA in order to unilaterally impose upon us sporting and technical changes that are not properly observing due process in that contract." 18. DENNIS AND WILLIAMS LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (FEBRUARY 25, 2003) (REUTERS) 19. REVERSE VIEW OF NEWS CONFERENCE HELD BY FIA PRESIDENT MAX MOSLEY, FORMULA ONE BOSS BERNIE ECCLESTONE, FORMER JAGUAR FORMULA ONE BOSS NICKI LAUDA AND HANS MAHR OF RTL AT NEWS CONFERENCE 20. (SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) BERNIE ECCLESTONE SAYS: "We owe it to the public to make sure that the rules are in such a way that the racing is good and I think that is what Max has managed to do, to bring this about. At least I hope he has." 21. (SOUNDBITE)(ENGLISH) MOSLEY SAYS: "I think what we have got to do now is try to get Ron (Dennis of McLaren) and Frank (Williams of BMW-Williams F1) to concentrate on beating Ferrari and let us try to run the sport. If they could run their teams well enough then we won't have any problems with television or anything else but they need to catch up and they need to concentrate on their teams." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 12th November 2002 12:00
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- Location: LONDON/UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City:
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA44Q7MLXW6P1IO3WNNMR719GJ6
- Story Text: The 2003 Formula One season will see a radical shake-up
of the sport thanks to rule changes and a change of policy
by the sport's governing body, the FIA. But some team
bosses are fighting to turn back the tide.
At the end of October 2002, FIA president Max Mosley
and Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone held a meeting at a
hotel near London's Heathrow airport for team bosses.
The meeting was called after a season in which Ferrari had
dominated the season totally. Fans at tracks and television
viewers had responded poorly to the lack of racing and a
number of teams found their sponsors less willing to back the
teams for another year. The aim of the conference was to
change some Formula One rules immediately to enliven the
championship and cut costs. Such rule changes could only be
made if all team bosses were unanimous.
After consultation, Mosley was able to announce a string
of rule amendments. Scoring in grand prix races was changed.
Instead of benefiting first to sixth place only, the points
would extend to eighth place according to the formula:
10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1. Mosley also announced there was agreement
for qualifying to change so that each car ran just one
qualifying lap to decide grid position. Spare cars would be
banned, he said, and so would team orders. There would also be
a new initiative to cut down the number of test days. Mosley
said there was a further call for team bosses to agree fresh
changes among themselves to cut costs significantly.
But on January 15, 2003 there was a fresh meeting at
Heathrow, called by Mosley and Ecclestone, and the tone was
very different. Mosley arrived to tell the team bosses that,
in the absence of significant changes agreed by them, the FIA
would be enforcing existing rules more severely.
The principal rule to be enforced stated that the driver
must drive the car unaided. During the 2002 season, teams
relied on traction control, computer-assisted start
procedures, remote adjustment of engine parts by telemetry
from the pits and other technological aids. Mosley announced
launch controls and telemetry would stop immediately, with
traction control being phased out five months into the season
in time for the British Grand Prix.
There was also a drive towards eliminating special
components to be used for qualifying and not for the race.
Mosley said the cars would be locked away after qualifying and
only minimal maintenance would be allowed before the race.
The FIA said more rule changes, to be approved by the
Formula One commission, were proposed for 2005 and 2006
concerning engines. For 2005, engines must last for two races
and there would be new penalties for engine or component
changes outside permitted times. For 2006, engines would have
to last six races. At present, teams can get through several
in a single race meeting with special high-revving ones used
for the short burst of qualifying.
Reactions to the announcement varied but there was broad
acceptance. Ron Dennis of McLaren and Frank Williams of
BMW-Williams did not comment but the bosses of the smaller
teams, like Eddie Jordan and Paul Stoddart of Minardi welcomed
the changes eagerly.
However further clarifications from the FIA surprised many
in the sport, particularly one that cars could not be
refuelled between qualifying and the race.
In February, Ron Dennis and Frank Williams told the FIA,
in an open letter, that they would be seeking arbitration
quoting safety concerns and their objections to the manner in
which the changes were imposed. In particular they felt the
FIA had violated the Concorde Agreement, a secret document
governing the ways in which Formula One divides up television
and publicity revenue according to a complicated formula based
on the success of each team.
Frank Williams said: "We consider that the Concorde
agreement which is a tripartite contract - a legal document -
has been sidestepped deliberately by Mr Mosley the president
of the FIA in order to unilaterally impose upon us sporting
and technical changes that are not properly observing due
process in that contract."
Behind the scenes of Formula One, the controversy impinges
on a battle for power between the major carmakers, who have
threatened to set up their own championship, and the FIA for
control of the championship.
Mosley hit back just days later, dismissing the objections
of Dennis and Williams as an "incoherent list of complaints."
He added: "I think what we have got to do now is try to
get Ron (Dennis of McLaren) and Frank (Williams of
BMW-Williams F1) to concentrate on beating Ferrari and let us
try to run the sport. If they could run their teams well
enough then we won't have any problems with television or
anything else but they need to catch up and they need to
concentrate on their teams."
All parties are now bound for Melbourne for the Australian
Grand Prix on March 9. Even before the racing begins, the
battle lines will be drawn up with Max Mosley holding a news
conference on the Thursday before the race, and Frank Williams
and Ron Dennis taking part in the official conference on the
Friday.
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