The news is out that Williams has turned on FOTA in Formula One by breaking ranks and submitting an application to race in 2010. Somewhere Judas is smiling. 

Sir Frank Williams has been a leading figure in Formula One. Alas, it is sad to see that when push came to shove, he acted in a cowardly manner and turned his back on the other teams in FOTA. Somewhere, Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley are smiling. They’ve always bet the teams could not maintain unity and a Judas would appear. Many are surprised it is Frank Williams, but people show their true character under pressure. 

Williams has suggested the team has no choice in the matter. Since racing is what it does, it needs to be in the field for 2010. This is a red herring. The reason is Williams turned well before the deadline. The application deadline is May 29th, and Williams has rolled over like a beached whale nearly a week before hand right when negotiations between the FOTA and FIA are at a head. Well done, Frank!

So, what does this all mean? Well, it means Max Mosley is winning. With one team breaking away, we can expect to see others do so as well. It will be interesting to see if Williams received any incentives to do so. The Mosley-Ecclestone good cop, bad cop act has always been dependent on keeping the teams from uniting. To do this, they’ve padded the coffers of Ferrari in the past. That obviously is no longer happening given the role of Ferrari in FOTA. Williams seems an unlikely second choice, but who knows. 

It appears that Max Mosley will get his way in the big picture. Is this a good thing for Formula One or not? Well, it depends on what you like about F1. If you see it as the technological cutting edge of motorsports, then this is a bad thing. The cars are going to become very similar and there will be little technical development to speak of. The difference between Formula One cars and Indy Cars will be minimal other than the size. 

On the other hand, the new budget and rules will let just about anyone enter the field. You are already seeing a bunch of amateur outfits line up to enter the field. Campos, Lola and USF1 are only a few. Heck, there are even rumors of Super Aguri considering a second go at F1. This will ultimately mean bigger fields on the track. 

Personally, I don’t see adding a bunch of privateer teams as a good thing. A bunch of back runners like Force India doesn’t add anything to the sport. It lines the coffers of the FIA with entry fees, but what’s the point in regard to racing? The FIA has made horrific decisions before and Formula One survived, so this is probably going to be much ado about nothing.  

Lemmy

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