BMW considers Formula One future

BMW could opt out of Formula One in the future if the changes proposed by the FIA for 2008 don't meet with the manufacturer's approval. The teams will meet in Monaco next week to discuss the proposals and a decision has to be presented at the World Motor Sport Council meeting at the end of June.

BMW board member Burkhard Goeschel told Reuters that the company would continue in F1 only if the sport and its own interests were compatible. "We are committed to motorsports," Goeschel said. "It's not a question of Formula One. If Formula One is going another way which is not congruent to our ideas and values as BMW, then we would change to another kind of motorsport."

"We are not fixed on Formula One. We want to race in the top league, that's the only question. If it is attractive and interesting for us...we will stay in Formula One. But if it is not, then we won't do it."

BMW is part of the Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC) group that recently broke off talks with F1's holding company SLEC. A Memorandum of Understanding had been signed and it appeared the threat of a breakaway championship had been averted. But although the talks have now broken down, GPWC still wants to find a solution.

"We closed the memorandum of understanding because we didn't see any effort from the shareholders of SLEC to realise the task they have," said Goeschel "Now we are waiting. We want to keep it open, to see the reactions and not to close it with an argument and race our own series. There is room for discussion. If nothing happens, it (a new series) may be one solution."