A spokesman for F1’s governing body has played down suggestions that the deal struck with car manufacturers on Wednesday has left independent teams with no say about rule changes.
A cornerstone of the minimally five year agreement is that regulations will be formulated in 2008 and beyond by holding discussions between the FIA and carmakers at board level. It means that teams like Williams, affiliated with a manufacturer only via engine supply, are likely to lose their formerly equal voice.
So while the coup unveiled after a meeting in Munich puts the final nail in the GPMA’s threatened ‘breakaway’ championship, it has given the carmaker’s body reportedly unprecedented power in the regulatory process.
FIA president Max Mosley and the GPMA’s Burkhard Goschel jointly described the deal as a ‘fundamental change in the way we go about managing the rules’.
However, asked if the change is to the detriment of the smaller teams, the FIA spokesman told the BBC: “The FIA’s role has always been to protect the independent teams and we will continue to do that.”
GMMF1
DailyF1News.com
