Formula 1
FOTA unity was always doomed - Ecclestone
Global Motorsport Media
Published: Dec 5, 2011, 12:11 PM
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FOTA is failing due to the competitiveness of the Formula One teams, according to Bernie Ecclestone.
The teams' alliance is reeling from the high profile loss of top teams Red Bull and Ferrari, due mainly to the disagreement about the cost-cutting resource restriction agreement.
The death of unity is music to F1 chief executive Ecclestone's ears, ahead of his crucial negotiations over the next income-distribution Concorde Agreement.
"I think (Ferrari and Red Bull) believed (FOTA) didn't quite do what it was intended to do," he is quoted by the Financial Times.
FOTA Chairman Martin Whitmarsh and Bernie Ecclestone
Photo by: xpb.cc
"It is very very difficult for all these people who are competing with each other to agree anything that's going to stop their ability to win."
The 81-year-old said the FOTA split has almost certainly ended the teams' cost-cutting agreement.
"I think it was probably dead before it started," said Ecclestone.
"It's pretty difficult (for a team) to ever be able to say 'this is what we've done'. You get all that nonsense, 'oh, they're cheating, because they've spent more than they should have'."
Ecclestone denied he has already made separate post-2012 Concorde deals with Red Bull or Ferrari, and would not rule out negotiating collectively with all the teams.
I think it was probably dead before it started
Bernie Ecclestone
But Autosprint believes the FOTA split will definitely "benefit the more important teams".
And the story will continue to run, with Auto Motor und Sport predicting that FOTA could take Red Bull to court for quitting the resource restriction agreement after team boss Christian Horner signed the new deal in Singapore.
The German report said Red Bull is claiming Horner was not authorised to sign it.
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