DECEMBER 8, 2011

More FOTA defections

Sauber is the latest team to serve notice of its intent to leave the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA).

Kamui Kobayashi, Japanese GP 2011
© The Cahier Archive

Sauber is the latest team to serve notice of its intent to leave the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA).

The organisation held a meeting in London on Tuesday, at which Toro Rosso also failed to have a representative. Neither development is entirely surprising given that both teams are supplied with engines by Ferrari, which has already revealed it is leaving the organisation, as has Toro Rosso's Dietrich Mateschitz-owned sister team, Red Bull Racing.

With HRT also outside of the association, the remaining FOTA teams are thus: McLaren, Mercedes, Lotus Renault GP, Force India, Williams, Team Lotus (soon to be Caterham) and Marussia Virgin Racing.

The format and administration of F1's Resource Restriction Agreement (RRA) has dominated recent discussion, with moves to try to remove the RRA from FOTA's agenda. More than one team principal, however, has questioned FOTA's validity if its teams cannot agree on fundamentals.

Strong believers in FOTA, however, point to recent show-improving developments such as DRS as well as the tremendous strides made in cost control, as being FOTA initiatives and argue that the sport's interests are best served by a strong teams' organisation.

F1 commercial rights holders Bernie Ecclestone and CVC Capital Partners, meanwhile, will no doubt be eyeing developments with interest, well award that their commercial interests are best served by a weak teams' organisation, with Concorde Agreement negotiations post-2012, imminent. Don't anticipate this being the end of the matter...