The Official F1 2009 Thread

[YAN-3]

F1 is turning into a full blown soap opera. whats next? ahhh... i guess Im done believing all the hype I read after a race. and all this crap from BMW how there back and have a chance to survival, i think its all too early to call as well. anywho thats it, cant wait for Monaco

[TDE30]

so anyone else see this in WCF?

Barrichello threatens to quit F1 over team orders

Yes! One less hard to pass senior citizen. To be honest, I was hoping Rubens would leave when DC left, things just weren't going well for him last season, well obviously things picked up for him this year, however he's complaining again now. He just needs to finish up this season, see how far being #2 takes him and be done with Formula One while he's still on a high note... like what George is doing in the below video.

[UNHCLL]

With the top 5 manufacturers threatening to drop out alltogether, there may not be much to talk about next season.

[TDE30]

http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5318108,00.html

Yawn, Ferrari's throwing a hissy fit. Although, in their defense, the FIA really should make this budget cap more gradual.

[M-technik-3]

With the top 5 manufacturers threatening to drop out alltogether, there may not be much to talk about next season.

Ferrari says they are out as well.

http://www.eurosport.yahoo.com/12052009/58/ferrari-ll-walk-f1.html

F1 a dead series ?

[elsabor67]

According to Italian news agencies on tv today, Ferrari plan to boycott the 2010 season if they make the 46Mil cap official. They also said that if they do pull out, that the other option would be to race in the U.S. Market.

[YAN-3]

screw that, without Ferrari there is no Formula 1.

[Jon325i]

screw that, without Ferrari there is no Formula 1.

Agreed. And with Ferrari having a huge and loyal fanbase, if they were to leave, so will a good chunk of their money in the form of ticket sales, memorabilia, and other F1 related stuff. If other teams follow suit, then the potential loss of revenue could be huge. Bernie & Max need to carefully assess the "what ifs" before making vast and sweeping changes to the rules. I can see how they want to make the financial aspect of F1 entry more palatable for manufacturers, but don't do it in a way that causes the core base which built you up to leave the game altogether.


Jon

[YAN-3]

I also read that in addition to Ferrari threatening, BMW, Toyota and Red Bull have expressed their opinions and mentioned about withdrawal. And lets not forget about the situation at McMerc. what would F1 be like with the grid consisting of Force (or the lack of it) India, USF1, and Renault.... i guess if your a Renault fan you have something to look forward to, but for the 97% of the F1 fan base, it would be a major turn off.

with that said, I do think that those 2 jerks (max and bernie) will change their opinions and F1 will survive with the current teams for at least another year (2010)

[z31maniac]

All politics and show at this point.

[Hick]

renault has joined them...

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2009/5/9351.html

[Super Sedan]

I would love to see all of these teams go prototype racing...

[UNHCLL]

Autoblog:

"Ferrari has announced that it won't be on the Formula One grid in 2010 if the FIA's new rules are enacted. As reported previously, Ferrari joins BMW-Sauber, McLaren-Mercedes, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Renault in opposing the proposed regulations.

In Ferrari's release (posted after the break), the automaker said that it "does not intend [to enter] its cars in the 2010 F1 Championship" and "The Board considers that if this is the regulatory framework for Formula 1 in the future, then the reasons underlying Ferrari's uninterrupted participation in the World Championship over the last 60 years – the only constructor to have taken part ever since its inception in 1950 – would come to a close."

The new FIA regulations would cap spending at $60 million, not including driver salaries, engine costs and marketing expenses, or teams could ignore the cap and suffer from performance restrictions, thus creating a "two-tier" F1. FIA President, Max Mosley, believes that the new spending limits would allow more teams to enter the championship, but at what cost for the existing teams?"

[JuanPabloBongto]

How short is the attention span of the F1 public?

Doesn't anyone remember the Grand Prix World Championship bullshit from 2004/2005? it was all show, no go... positioning, smoke, mirrors, hearsay and doubletalk.
This is all a ruse.. just a means of influencing policy and accumulating momentum for the individual interests of the participating teams.

F1 is nothing without Ferrari ? it's the other way 'round. In all my years following the sport, I've learned only one enduring truth: Bernie will never lose. Well, that and Michael Schumacher is a ruthless cocksucker.

[TDE30]

At this point, I firmly believe this all the work of the internet, numerous misconstrued statements, and a few bitchy teams. I have no doubt that even the FIA is realizing right now that if these teams are not on the 2010 grid, then their proposed budget cap will not go forward. Once the few remaining teams join FOTA's decision not to race if the budget cap is enacted, the FIA will have no choice but to meet with FOTA and draw up some sort of budget plan. 60% of the current constructors aren't just going to drop everything and leave the sport, the FIA will compromise just like it always has.



Edit: http://www.planet-f1.com/story/0,189...321261,00.html

There, and once they meet up, the FIA will surely come back down to Earth with their budget figures. The four smallest outfits currently competing in Formula One agreeing to this budget cap are not enough to enact it.