Ferrari, the FIA and the 'rebels' - the other side of the story

08/02/2005

When FIA president, Max Mosley, released a whole raft of documents relating to the ongoing cost cutting saga, Pitpass described it as a masterstroke.

Reading through the various documents it appeared that Mr Mosley had a point, and that the media, not for the first time, was working itself into a frenzy for nothing. Some regarded the decision by the nine rebel teams not to attend the 28 January meeting with Mosley as churlish, and laughed when the former barrister claimed that more had been achieved in their absence than had they been present.

The minutes of the meeting, attended by Mosley, Charlie Whiting and Richard Woods of the FIA and Ferrari's Jean Todt and Ross Brawn, make fascinating reading. Although there remained a few areas where the Italian outfit was clearly at odds with its nine rivals, it was clear that there was hope that a satisfactory outcome might be reached, and that Formula One might avoid further acrimony and the ensuing negative publicity.

Though the Italian team was adamant with regards testing restrictions, there was clearly a softening in its attitude towards other issues of contention, in particular the thorny subject of the single tyre.

A masterstroke indeed.

However, Pitpass editor Chris Balfe is too long in the tooth not to realise that there are two sides to every story. Though it was refreshing to see the FIA make these documents - and so any of them - public, there was this question nagging away at him, why? Formula One and its governance is steeped in secrecy, almost to the point of paranoia, so why the sudden openness?

Much was made of a 45-page missive sent by Minardi boss Paul Stoddart to Mosley, who subsequently made the document public, in all its glory. Try as he might, editor Balfe found himself unable to get more than just a few pages into it before his eyes began to glaze over.

Consequently, he sat down with Stoddart, the so-called shop steward - a term he dislikes intensely - for the nine teams at odds with the FIA and Ferrari, and asked the Australian to explain what it is that at a time we should be looking forward to a new season, and hopefully a new beginning, is threatening to tear Formula One apart.

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