FIA eye four new teams to replace manufacturers
It is reported that, faced with the threatened loss of Mercedes (McLaren), Renault, BMW, BAR-Honda and Toyota in 2008, the governing body has lined up at least four new teams for the 2008 championship.
With Ferrari, Red Bull, Minardi, Jordan and – possibly – Williams, that would ensure a near-full grid even without the errant carmakers.
The FIA told The Sunday Telegraph: ''We have had a number of serious approaches.''
Teams have until March 2006 to commit to Ecclestone's new 2008-2012 'Concorde' agreement.
An anonymous team principal remarked: ''News of the existence of these parties who are supposedly interested in joining formula one is clearly designed to break GPMA. ''It's a crude threat.''
The news coincides with the latest 'GPMA'-attack on Ecclestone and Max Mosley, courtesy of BMW and breakaway bigwig Burkhard Goeschel in the German Welt am Sonntag newspaper. He said: ''Ecclestone's system is sitting on a thin branch. A reform has to take place — for the benefit of the sport.''
In the end, Bernie Ecclestone will win this war. He always does.