01/11/2014
NEWS STORY
There were times during Friday's press conference when one could have cut the air with a knife. Though nowhere near as riveting as Canada 2003, when Ron Dennis and (Minardi boss) Paul Stoddart went head-to-head, it did have its moments, with both sides making sense.
And, as ever, that is what it is all about, sides. Us and them, the haves and have-nots, the big teams and the rest.
After months of speculation, Caterham and Marussia have gone to the wall, and while the administrators claim interest from numerous parties, talk of Romanian consortiums hardly inspires confidence.
Whilst Toto Wolff and Eric Boullier fought their corner, Vijay Mallya and (Lotus owner) Gerard Lopez made some valid points; the Force India pointing out to the McLaren and Mercedes representatives that they receive (pay) cheques whilst he's always issuing them, and Lopez asking how the sport can justify the huge amounts spent when the cars are only marginally quicker than their GP2 counterparts.
"The whole GP2 team for the whole season is going to cost €4million," he said. "Are we really that much better? I mean are we really better to the point that a team needs to spend €300 million to be six seconds faster?"
Meanwhile, Bernie Ecclestone, who predicts we could yet lose two more teams, was playing down his desire to see third cars, insisting that he is happy to have the small teams "if they are performing properly, and not going around with begging bowls".
Elsewhere, Force India deputy team principal, Bob Fernley, was stoking the fire claiming that the sport, in the shape of its powers-that-be, has an agenda.
"F1 is at a crossroads," he told the BBC. "There is clearly an agenda. Two teams have been forced out. How many need to be forced out before they achieve the goal they are looking for?
"We have missed an opportunity in F1 to be able to get it sustainable,' he continued. "That is passed us and there is no point looking back. I think F1 will be in a different format in 2015 and I don't know what that is.
"CVC and the teams they have empowered have got some form of programme in place because nobody (otherwise) would have teams going out of business. There is a (financial) split that is inequitable.
"He thinks there could be 14 cars," he concluded, referring to Ecclestone's comments, "so the question is, if we are driving teams out of the business, to what agenda is it? What's the game? It's probably time to come clear with what the objectives are."
All of which set the scene nicely for the Times to claim that Lotus, Sauber and Force India have discussed boycotting this weekend's race, a move would rip to shreds any remaining vestige of credibility the sport might have.
Lopez was quick to deny the claim, telling the Press Association: "I've just found out about the story now, so my answer is no. I have to say I'm a bit surprised, but then nothing should surprise me in Formula One.
"What I can say is I've had a meeting with them (Mallya and Sauber's Monisha Kaltenborn) about the cash distribution and so on, and that's it. I'm not aware of this. I don't even know where this comes from, and that's the whole point.
"A lot of frustration has built up," he admitted. "It is high, understandably to some extent. A lot of things have been said that have not been thought through, and it's time a bit of common sense comes in.
"There are a couple of things to take into account, and one of them is sadness going around at what has happened to Marussia and Caterham because it did not have to happen. And listening to people say we have to have a certain amount to compete in the sport, a figure that scares new manufacturers to come in, is ridiculous. Yet that's the reality of things right now.
"In a sport where $120m is perceived to be nothing, that is a pretty scary thought. Connected to that there is this frustration because it should not be this way. It's just a catastrophe. I look at it as a business person. Formula One is an asset that's worth a lot of money, but it's only worth a lot of money if it has diversity, a bit of everything that has been the fabric of Formula One."
As the sport attempts to re-establish itself in the United States, especially in the wake of the debacle that was Indianapolis 2005 (pictured), the last thing the sport needs to do is even threaten such a move. Furthermore, how will American race fans react to such a threat just three weeks after witnessing the same sport grovelling at the feet of Vladimir Putin.
It's a sorry mess and one that most of us have seen coming for some time, and whether there is an agenda, the fact is that fans are already losing patience.
It will take some mighty impressive racing from Lewis, Nico and the boys to put smiles back on our faces, and a lot less public bickering, a lot less gimmicks and a lot less threats.
Chris Balfe
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