Renault CEO Ghosn stokes up the fire

10/06/2009

Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn hit out today over the revenue that the manufacturer teams receive from F1, raising the stakes in the FIA/FOTA battle for control of the sport.

Speaking in front of the French National Assembly, two days before the FIA announces the proposed line-up for the 2010 championship, and at a time when Max Mosley is calling on the teams to calm the situation, Ghosn made his company's position clear.

"We are the ones who make the show, who bring in the technology, who bring in the engines, who hire the drivers," he said, according to Agence France-Presse. "And if we make the show, the revenues from Formula One must come back to us.

"Today we pay to be in Formula One and that is not normal," he continued. "Intermediaries have made enough money. We want to take back control of Formula One."

Referring to the ongoing row over the rules for next year, and beyond, Ghosn made it crystal clear where his company - and no doubt its fellow manufacturers - stands at this time.

"We want the same rules for everyone," he said. "Accepting different rules depending on the constructor is out of the question."