Mosley hints at Concorde cancellation

FIA President Max Mosley has suggested that the FIA may decide to cancel the entire concept of the Concorde Agreement if the rebel F1 teams do not fall into line. If that happened teams would have to conclude their own deals with the governing body. "My feeling is that we no longer really need the Concorde Agreement," Mosley said in Paris last week. "Its importance is fading and one can imagine its disappearance. In effect these agreements seem to be a huge waste of time and their advantages are not clear."

The withdrawal from the rebel camp of Tyrrell is a big blow to Williams and McLaren, which both insist that they will not give up the fight. The two teams are giving up a guaranteed income of at least $12m this year - with more in the future - because they believe that Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Holdings, which has a deal with the FIA for the promotional rights for the F1 World Championship, is taking too much money out of the sport and they should be given more of the profits. Their resistance is delaying the flotation of FOH.

The rebels are now waiting for a ruling from the European Commission on whether the deals are anti-competitive. European Competition Commissioner Karel van Miert is against lengthy exclusive broadcasting contracts but Ecclestone is arguing that his undertaking to maintain free-over-air TV broadcasts will be sufficient.