multi21

I was 100% in agreement with you until you brought up FIFA. I've never seen a more overtly corrupt and "let them eat cake" sanctioning body than FIFA and that includes the Olympic Committees!

Nizer

Which driver cost F1 teams the most money….

Carlo_Carrera

FOM and the FIA are bound together by a commercial rights agreement. FOM can not simply take all the teams and start a new "F1 like" series. FOM would still be bound by the commercial rights agreement and noncompete clauses within it.

If all the teams all decided to leave at the end of the current Concorde Agreement they could start a new race series, like they almost did 2009, but it could not be called F1 and FOM could not be involved, again because of the rights agreement.

The FIA owns Formula 1 and all the money in the world has not to this point changed that. Many have tried, none have come even close to succeeding. With regards to F1 the FIA is never in a precarious position because they own it. That is why the FIA has been, and still is, run like a clown show yet is still in control of the rules, regulations and staffing of the series. Very similar to FIFA and the World Cup.

multi21

Poor Williams...I didn't think Albon would be up there along with his teammate. In defense of Carlos Sainz, this must have included his unfortunate incident on the streets of Las Vegas which cost appx. $2m and was in no way his fault.

LuigiVampa

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/f...olff/10556097/

I think the FIA, and in particular the FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, was trying to take a shot at Toto to keep him in line. I'm thinking that other teams realizing the FIA is the bigger threat to their business rallied around Mercedes in a rare show of unity to give the middle finger to the FIA and call them out on their game. FIA realizing they had no cards left to play backed down.

I'm pretty sure the FIA is a little scared of Liberty Media, and even though there is a contract, there is sometimes a way to wiggle a way out. It could also be saber rattling to get better terms for FOM and the teams.

The politics of F1 are just as complex as those between nations. It is crazy!

multi21

"Machiavellian" as Steve Machette used to say. If anyone hasn't read his books, you should. They take a fascinating look at the inner workings of F1.

Carlo_Carrera

There's no wiggle room in the commercial rights contract between FOM in the FIA. The FIA own the racing series. FOM simply has a long term lease of the broadcast and promotional rights.

The Concorde Agreement is really the key. It binds the teams, FOM and the FIA together in a power sharing agreement.

Honestly the easiest party to replace is FOM/Liberty. If FOM/Liberty somehow violated the terms of the commercial rights agreement the FIA could resell those right in an instant to the Saudi investment fund or multiple other parties. As much as the FIA is a bunch of bumbling idiots they own Formula 1. There's no way around that. Several attempts to form breakaway series and competitive series have been made throughout the past 70 years, all of them failed.

LuigiVampa

I have not looked into the ownership structure but I do not doubt what you are saying.

Breaking away could look something like Indy car a lot of years ago. That being said, efforts to "break away" did not necessarily fail as they were used to negotiate a bigger piece of the pie.

Carlo_Carrera

Yes, exactly, that is what the 2009 FOTA breakaway was really about. The teams successfully seized significant power/control in the negotiation of that Concord Agreement.

ELange0322

This was my take as well. Its not crystal clear to me who it was that appointed Suzie into that role, but I though it was the FIA. Well, if they appointed her into the role, to now be claiming that there was some breach or conflict when they absolutely knew of the relationship is a bit much. Again, if it was the FIA that made the appointment, then this really seems to me to be less of a breach then a political thing because its been Toto who has been most vocal about not letting the Andretti team become part of the series (remember that MBS wants this and has approved, but the Manufacturers are the ones saying no).

Anyone have clarity who nominated Suzie for the role and how she got appointed ?

thebishman

The FIA own the rights to the name F1 that’s for sure and FOM/Liberty has a 100 year lease for the Commercial rights, etc.

But I don’t think we should overlook the fact that in reality, the teams are ‘F1’. If the teams decided to create a new premier racing entity they could pull it off, after all is there anyone here who wouldn’t follow ‘our’ teams instead of staying to watch some half assed series thought up by the FIA with no doubt, MBS’ money?

FOM/Liberty could then well have a case that the FIA is in breech of contract and follow the teams to their new series. Perhaps there are very bright barristers in the UK, (since the majority of the teams are based there), and lawyers here in the US who could poke a big enough hole in the current contract with the FIA to get Liberty out from under the FIA’s ‘shoe’. I wouldn’t wonder that under such immense pressure, FIA would fold and the teams and Liberty would get to run the series their way with minimal influence from the twerps at the FIA.

God knows with as much money as the teams are realizing under the new venture with Liberty, I can’t see the team Principals putting up with too much more bull****.

multi21

From everything I've seen, it was F1 that appointed her as F1 Academy director and it's a logical choice as she was a Williams development driver, has been the boss of a Formula E team (Venturi) and has been promoting female drivers towards F1 since 2016. She reports directly and only to the F1 chief, Stefano Dominicalli.

In the aftermath of this all, it appears the F1 teams circled the wagons to defend one of their own. MBS will take that into consideration the next time he tries a power play.

Carlo_Carrera

I agree the teams, especially Ferrari, are the foundation of F1.

As for them leaving and forming their own series, doing that would have no effect or breach of contract with regards to the commercial rights agreement between Liberty/FOM and the FIA.

The teams are bound to the FIA ad FOM via the Concord Agreement which is completely separate from the commercial rights deal between FOM and FIA. By the terms of the Concord Agreement FOM/Liberty is actually the party responsible for keeping the teams happy and in the fold via financial compensation. When the Concord Agreement needs renewing it is FOM/Liberty that approached the teams and negotiates them into signing it. The FIA simply approves the Concord Agreement once it is finalized.

The Concord Agreement has expired around every 7-10 years or so for the past 40+ years. The teams could have left at any time during those expiration/renewal periods but they never have, and they experienced way way way more BS, epic amounts of BS, in the past than they are now.

Nobody is going anywhere. They are all getting too rich to kill the golden goose Bernie, and now Liberty, have developed. Liberty and the teams know the upper management of the FIA is a bit of a joke but in a weird way it is useful, sort of a partner yet common adversary.

Carlo_Carrera

Does anyone know exactly what Toto said in the interview that tipped off the FIA to suspect that Susie had divulged confidential FIA information to Toto?

MSR Racer

This is the truth. Amen.