23/02/2010
NEWS STORY
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While welcoming the start of the new season, Ferrari has lashed out at the FIA and its former president Max Mosley, claiming that the debacle of Campos and US F1 is the result of his "holy war".
In an 'editorial' on its website, the Italian outfit looks forward to the new season, and the upcoming test at Barcelona, "last chance to run the cars on track, to push reliability to the limit and to try and find some performance".
However, the article then proceeds to ridicule the fact that two of the teams due to contest the championship will not be there and might not be on the grid in Bahrain or beyond.
The Italian team, which threatened to leave F1 last year at the height of FOTA's battle with the FIA over the budget cap, ridicules some of the new teams, whilst pointing the finger at who it holds responsible for the debacle.
"Of the thirteen teams who signed up, or were induced to sign up, for this year's Championship, to date only eleven of them have heeded the call, turning up on track, some later than others, and while some have managed just a few hundred kilometres, others have done more, but at a much reduced pace.
"As for the twelfth team, Campos Meta," it continues, "its shareholder and management structure has been transformed, with a sudden cash injection from a munificent white knight, well used to this sort of last minute rescue deal."
Now, while Colin Kolles claims that Spanish entrepreneur Jose Ramon Carabante is behind the deal that has saved Campos, Ferrari is clearly hinting that Bernie Ecclestone has had a hand in the team's salvation, adding the a note of caution. "However, the beneficiaries of this generosity might find the knight in question expects them to fulfil the role of loyal vassal."
Next comes US F1. "The thirteenth team, USF1, appears to have gone into hiding in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the dismay of those like the Argentinean, Lopez, who thought he had found his way into the Formula 1 paddock, (albeit with help from chairwoman Kirchner, according to the rumours) and now has to start all over again. Amazingly, they still have the impudence to claim that everything is hunky-dory under the starry stripy sky."
Ouch!
"Next, we have the Serbian vultures," it continues, clearly now turning its attention to Stefan GP. "Firstly, they launched themselves into a quixotic legal battle with the FIA, then they picked the bones of Toyota on its death bed. Having got some people on board, around whom there was still a whiff of past scandals, they are now hovering around waiting to replace whoever is first to drop out of the game, possibly with backing from that very same knight in shining armour whom we mentioned earlier."
And saving the best for last.
"This is the legacy of the holy war waged by the former FIA president. The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into Formula 1. This is the outcome: two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand - you can be sure it is not the hand of Adam Smith - and, as for the fourth, well, you would do better to call on Missing Persons to locate it. In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault, there's not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?"
There is no by-line for the piece, but even those with the shortest of memories will recognise the sentiment and appreciate that this comes from the very top at Maranello.