Engine Freeze

[monza gorilla 1]

Formula 1 will impose a freeze on engine development a year earlier than planned after the FIA and the GPMA agreed terms to introduce homologation after this year

[Autumnpuma 0]

I want to know what incentives were offered to the GPMA to 'go along' with this. At every stage, from the v8 adoption to this, the GPMA have stood in legal opposition to the FIA's proposals and have, in the end, capitulated. I am at a loss to explain it. Perhaps the answer is simple; the Manufacturers don't want to spend any more money on engine development. Perhaps my arse will turn red and I'll bray like a monkey....

I look at Formula 1 today, and in the forseeable future, and don't recognize her. She's the high-school sweetheart that you meet again 20 years later and find a fat, pinkinsh, wrinkly sort of woman.

[monza gorilla 1]

What have the FIA got over the manufacturers? I cannot believe that they would roll over so quickly unless there was something hanging over them.

[aussief1 4]

I look at Formula 1 today, and in the forseeable future, and don't recognize her. She's the high-school sweetheart that you meet again 20 years later and find a fat, pinkinsh, wrinkly sort of woman.

That sums it up autumnpuma.

Sadly this is no laughing matter.

[Autumnpuma 0]

I agree; it's a dark sort of laughter. The only motive I can see is a promise of a bigger piece of the financial pie if the GPMA compy with the FIA's view of Formula 1.

At this stage, I'm weary of bucking the system. I'll wait and see what Formula 1 morphs into before I pass judgement. Perhaps it won't be as bad as I'm thinking it will be....

[cavallino 2]

What have the FIA got over the manufacturers? I cannot believe that they would roll over so quickly unless there was something hanging over them.

A lot of people (and journalists) are guilty of jumping to support what is at most the lesser evil. The manufacturers are powerless because they are not united, there isn't the slightest question of a legal appeal, there wasn't ever despite what anti establishment websites and writers have been suggesting for a while.

What they wanted was to be able to push development for about 2 more months, so they could dwarf Cosworth's efforts, many of them were dead scared of submitting engines that were equal or worse inferior to Cosworth's cottage industry products.

There might be a saviour of Formula 1 somewhere, it's not Burkhard Goschel and his unruly mob.

[tvbf1 0]

Well Toyota and Honda are threatning to quit if they impose the engine freeze. I wonder if they are really going to pull out.

Well engine freeze, might as well just have a single engine supplier then. It looks like the future of F1 is looking a lot like Champ Cars.

[Autumnpuma 0]

A lot of people (and journalists) are guilty of jumping to support what is at most the lesser evil. The manufacturers are powerless because they are not united, there isn't the slightest question of a legal appeal, there wasn't ever despite what anti establishment websites and writers have been suggesting for a while.

What they wanted was to be able to push development for about 2 more months, so they could dwarf Cosworth's efforts, many of them were dead scared of submitting engines that were equal or worse inferior to Cosworth's cottage industry products.

There might be a saviour of Formula 1 somewhere, it's not Burkhard Goschel and his unruly mob.

Are you really Max Mosley?

[Yoda McFly 1]

It's looking more and more like my 0400 Sunday Morning Wakeups will become unnecessary.

The FIA is doing a marvelous job of legislating itself into irrelevance. In the meantime, the teams keep finding ways to spend the money that they "save," and the rich teams are still fast, and the poor teams are still slow, while the personality and soul of racing slowly drift away and die.

At least with ChampCar (and dare I say, NASCAB), there is no attempt to hide the fact that it's a spec series, and that the intention is to showcase the drivers' skills, rather than which tyre manufacturer guessed the weekend's temperature to the correct 5

[Autumnpuma 0]

Testifah, mah brothah!!!!

[cavallino 2]

http://f1.racing-live.com/f1/en/headlines/...808142912.shtml

It is understood that GPMA members Mercedes-Benz and Toyota have not given their final 'yes' to the agreement, even if BMW and Honda appear to now be united.

Can they decide anything together, in the one thing where I want the GPMA + Ferrari to prevail, they can't get a ****ing agreement amongst themselves, forget winning over the rest

[Autumnpuma 0]

Here's another interesting twist (avert your eyes, Cav, it's from grandprix.com )

lthough there are still i's to be dotted and t's to be crossed, the basis of a deal over engines for 2007 and 2008 has now been struck between the FIA and the GPMA. This has still to go through the other non-aligned teams and it is possible that one or two might take the opportunity to demand more concessions. This would be a dangerous thing to do because of the many different kinds of payback that a small team could suffer in the years ahead but it might be something that a team like Midland, unsure of its own future, might do in an effort to get cheaper engines or chassis.

The problem is that CVC Capital Partners, the private equity firm that bought control of Formula One Management (FOM), is now beginning to get uppity at the delays in putting together a deal. CVC has seemingly done very little since it took control of the sport, leaving FOM's management to do the business, but recently there have been signs that CVC is becoming more closely involved and has been talking directly to teams and the GPMA about sorting out a deal. CVC wants to get the sport settled down so that it can issue a bond secured with the future revenues of the sport - as FOM previously did back in 1999. This means that CVC would immediately pay off its investment and any future revenues not needed to pay off the bond and the teams would be pure profit. That plan has always been dependent on a deal between FOM, the teams and the FIA. A commercial deal was struck in May but nothing could go ahead without a deal over the rules as well and the endless negotiations over engines have slowed down the process and meant that CVC has not been able to go to the bond markets.

The overall effect of this has been a clear weakening of the position of FOM and with the delays being caused by the FIA and the teams it is fair to speculate that the dragging of feet may have been deliberate as both have things to gain from reducing FOM's influence over the sport.

****

So...what would happen to the CVC if Formula 1 remains unstable and they cannot get that bond issued? Would there come a time that they would get further and further in debt, causing them to sell their shares back to........Bernie? If Bernie bought the shares back at CVC's loss, then Bernie would be right back where he was a few years ago, but several million richer....

[pumpdoc 2]

It's looking more and more like my 0400 Sunday Morning Wakeups will become unnecessary.

The FIA is doing a marvelous job of legislating itself into irrelevance. In the meantime, the teams keep finding ways to spend the money that they "save," and the rich teams are still fast, and the poor teams are still slow, while the personality and soul of racing slowly drift away and die.

At least with ChampCar (and dare I say, NASCAB), there is no attempt to hide the fact that it's a spec series, and that the intention is to showcase the drivers' skills, rather than which tyre manufacturer guessed the weekend's temperature to the correct 5