DECEMBER 8, 2005

Meanwhile in the background

It is worth noting that the legal firms Linklaters and Baker & McKenzie are facing negligence claims that could run into millions of dollars for advice they gave to Williams and McLaren back in 1997 when negotiations were in full swing for the current Concorde Agreement.

It is worth noting that the legal firms Linklaters and Baker & McKenzie are facing negligence claims that could run into millions of dollars for advice they gave to Williams and McLaren back in 1997 when negotiations were in full swing for the current Concorde Agreement.

According to court documents the two teams are unhappy with the work done on an agreement between them and F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. The deal was supposed to give them each a share in the sale of the company which controls F1's commercial and media rights. The lawsuit claims that the legal teams failed to see a loophole that resulted in the teams getting nothing. At the moment no-one is talking about the case but it will be very interesting to hear the details of what was going on when the case comes to court in January. However, it is worth noting that today Williams and McLaren were in the High Court for a pre-trial review of the case which might have offered the opportunity for a settlement. It may just be a coincidence that this was happening on the same day as Williams signed the Concorde Agreement.

But then again it may not be a coincidence.