JANUARY 19, 2003

Explain this...

On Thursday the GPWC board of directors met in Berlin and issued a statement which said that the membership was "dismayed" at the cost-cutting measures put forward by FIA President Max Mosley.

On Thursday the GPWC board of directors met in Berlin and issued a statement which said that the membership was "dismayed" at the cost-cutting measures put forward by FIA President Max Mosley. The GPWC (which includes BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ferrari, Ford and Renault) said that it does not believe that "the content, and manner of implementation of Wednesday's proposed changes are consistent with the contractual framework under which Formula 1 operates" and that the GPWC "will therefore ask the teams affiliated to its members to analyse the appropriate mechanisms available to them, to ensure that changes are not implemented, or precedents set, that will cause problems for Formula 1, the teams and the drivers in the future."

At virtually the same time Ferrari's racing boss Jean Todt said the following:

"One must consider that the entire world is going through its worst economic crisis since 1929. It is not just sport which therefore finds itself in a difficult situation. The new rules are put forward as a way of reducing costs. It is clear that one team might be in favour of one modification but not another, with another team adopting the opposite view. We will have to reach an agreement which suits all parties involved. The only thing that is certain is that a reduction of costs is in the best interests of everyone."

And Renault Sport boss Flavio Briatore says:

"The changes the FIA has decided upon are a step in the right direction. It is imperative we ensure that our sport has a long-term future. We need to offer a better show on track whilst reducing costs, which have reached enormous levels in recent seasons. Having said that, we must think about, and methodically examine, these measures in terms of their feasibility and the time-scale needed to adapt to them."

And the Ford Motor Company's Jaguar Racing is reportedly happy with the changes as it tries to cut its costs.

So while the GPWC is saying that it is united against the proposed changes three of the five member companies are broadly in favour of the cost-cutting...