MARCH 14, 2002

Team bosses silent on Sepang meeting

THE majority of the Formula 1 team bosses met in Sepang on Thursday to discuss the matters of the moment in F1. The meeting was attended by all the major players except representatives from Ferrari and Renault (who declined to attend) and David Richards of BAR who was not due to arrive until Thursday evening. The meeting lasted for five hours and by all accounts was a lively affair, although no-one was willing to talk much about what happened.

The major issue under discussion appears to have been the forthcoming Formula 1 Commission meeting at which there are some revolutionary proposals to be decided upon. These however could have a major knock-on effect with regard to the Concorde Agreement and both these issues threaten to be overshadowed by worries about the future of the F1 commercial rights holder Kirch and by the threat that car manufacturers will start their own World Championship in 2008.

The issues cannot really be looked at independently of one another and given the tetchiness of some of the team bosses in recent weeks the indications are that matters are coming to a head and the pressure is on.

There could well be a radical rethink of the way F1 operates within a matter of days although the paddock may be a rather lonely place over the weekend as the talks progress at the nearby Pan Pacific Hotel.

With Bernie Ecclestone arriving in Sepang for Friday, things could begin to move very quickly.

Ecclestone has not been present at a Grand Prix since Indianapolis in September.