seppefan
10th June 2012, 16:00
The French Court ruling this week has exposed a hidden fact among the rank and file of F1; that hidden fact is in the form of a veto privilege that was given to Ferrari upon breaking ranks with the GPWC in 2005 and resigning the Concorde Agreement. This veto gave Ferrari the power to affect the FIA regulations rulings and was the main focus of their bid to seek and injunction against the FIA regarding the 2010 regulation changes recently published.
Apparently Sir Frank Williams had not known of this “veto” power Ferrari possessed and one can presume that other teams were not privy to it as well. Shades of back room dealings via the FIA and FOM. Sir Frank was nonplussed by the veto option Ferrari posses as he seems to think it offers an unfair advantage saying:
“I think many of us thought it mainly made a commercial advantage and that would be what they deserve,” said the Williams F1 team boss.
“They’ve had many years under this Concorde agreement and the previous one in a very privileged position, which if it had been known previously would not have gone down very well, I think, with the competition authorities in Brussels,” added Williams.
“Ferrari don’t really need this help. They’re a very, very strong and wealthy team. “It will be a great shame if they do go but if they go, I hope that it won’t be in a fit of pique.”
this veto, which MAx says has expired, is also being suggested as the means of a law suit that Bernie Ecclestone could use should Ferrari decide to not enter the series in 2010. Rumor suggests that Bernie recognizes the Courts ruling as acknowledging the veto power Ferrari posses and this would also indicate that they are in fact obligated to the remainder of the Concorde Agreement which expires in 2012. Ferrari see it differently of course. The regulations changes without respect of the due process offered Ferrari is something they would argue negates the Concorde Agreement and ushers in a breach of contract. The legal battles may just be starting and how odd that would be for a sport void of such trivial, litigious notions. Anyone interested in racing anymore? I hear NASCAR, ALMS, Indycar and Le Mans are putting on a great show.
Apparently Sir Frank Williams had not known of this “veto” power Ferrari possessed and one can presume that other teams were not privy to it as well. Shades of back room dealings via the FIA and FOM. Sir Frank was nonplussed by the veto option Ferrari posses as he seems to think it offers an unfair advantage saying:
“I think many of us thought it mainly made a commercial advantage and that would be what they deserve,” said the Williams F1 team boss.
“They’ve had many years under this Concorde agreement and the previous one in a very privileged position, which if it had been known previously would not have gone down very well, I think, with the competition authorities in Brussels,” added Williams.
“Ferrari don’t really need this help. They’re a very, very strong and wealthy team. “It will be a great shame if they do go but if they go, I hope that it won’t be in a fit of pique.”
this veto, which MAx says has expired, is also being suggested as the means of a law suit that Bernie Ecclestone could use should Ferrari decide to not enter the series in 2010. Rumor suggests that Bernie recognizes the Courts ruling as acknowledging the veto power Ferrari posses and this would also indicate that they are in fact obligated to the remainder of the Concorde Agreement which expires in 2012. Ferrari see it differently of course. The regulations changes without respect of the due process offered Ferrari is something they would argue negates the Concorde Agreement and ushers in a breach of contract. The legal battles may just be starting and how odd that would be for a sport void of such trivial, litigious notions. Anyone interested in racing anymore? I hear NASCAR, ALMS, Indycar and Le Mans are putting on a great show.