Webber sides with his employer
The dispute centers on Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) president Max Mosley wanting teams to compete under an annual budget cap of £40 million ($82m). Webber, Red Bull and every other cashed-up team has one question for Mosley: If Spanish football club Real Madrid is allowed to fork out £80m to lure Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United, why should an entire F1 franchise have to operate for a year on half that amount?
"All the drivers share the same view," Webber wrote in his column for the BBC. "We want to drive for the best teams and race against the best drivers. If it's not the FIA formula 1 world championship, so be it. It'll still be the most prestigious championship. Ferrari are crucial. Everyone wants to beat them and McLaren. They're awesome teams and big set-ups who've taken years to get into that situation. They are respected, and we want to beat these guys."
Formula one's biggest teams, including Webber's Red Bull, had until Friday in England to sign on for next year's championship. They were yet to resolve a dispute with the sport's governing body over financial constraints – and talking tough.
The Formula One Teams' Association announced it "would not compromise on the quality of the series" by signing up unconditionally for the 2010 F1 season under Mosley's plan to introduce a voluntary cap for teams to curtail a "financial arms race" in F1. "It's the first time ever, pretty much, all the teams have the same view," Webber wrote. "For the sake of the sport, the main constructors and people who have the real vision believe they need to take a stand.
"There have been lots of little ding-dongs going on over the last few years. It's now got to a point where £80m is paid for one player to play football but you're asked to run a whole F1 team and travel the world for £40m. How can you do that overnight? It's incredibly disruptive and not that easy to achieve. The positions Ferrari and Toyota in particular have taken in trying to address costs in the future have been incredible, from what I hear. Other teams say that's why they're in FOTA, the teams' umbrella group, because the position the big teams have taken is incredibly reasonable and very good. Hopefully, they are going to reach a good solution."
The eight rebel teams are championship leader Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. Mosley was under pressure to discard the budget cap so the dissenting teams would sign on at the 11th hour.
"It's a great shame that, for the second year in a row, we're not even going to able to go to Silverstone and concentrate on a great venue and a great race," Webber wrote. "Friday is the day of the latest deadline in the political row that's going on in formula one at the moment, and the papers are going to be full of all that nonsense, when it should be about the drivers competing in the British GP. It's disappointing that it has ended up this way.
"Collectively, everyone has played a role in trying to help and protect the sport and you just see all that effort down the years being devalued or diluted through some pretty radical ideas."
If the eight rebels, especially Ferrari, jump ship, the multi-million-dollar sponsors of the sport will go with them. "The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport, and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship," FOTA said after a meeting yesterday.
"These teams, therefore, have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners. This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders. The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series."
Williams and Force India have committed unconditionally to the FIA's world championship next year, along with three new entrants – Campos, US F1 and Manor. The FIA claims more would-be newcomers are waiting to replace teams that refuse to enter unconditionally.
Legal battles are likely because the FIA claims Ferrari and the two Red Bull teams have contracts that commit them long-term to the existing championship.
The eight rebel teams are championship leader Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber, Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso. Mosley was under pressure to discard the budget cap so the dissenting teams would sign on at the 11th hour.
"It's a great shame that, for the second year in a row, we're not even going to able to go to Silverstone and concentrate on a great venue and a great race," Webber wrote. "Friday is the day of the latest deadline in the political row that's going on in formula one at the moment, and the papers are going to be full of all that nonsense, when it should be about the drivers competing in the British GP. It's disappointing that it has ended up this way.
"Collectively, everyone has played a role in trying to help and protect the sport and you just see all that effort down the years being devalued or diluted through some pretty radical ideas."
If the eight rebels, especially Ferrari, jump ship, the multi-million-dollar sponsors of the sport will go with them. "The teams cannot continue to compromise on the fundamental values of the sport, and have declined to alter their original conditional entries to the 2010 world championship," FOTA said after a meeting yesterday.
"These teams, therefore, have no alternative other than to commence the preparation for a new championship which reflects the values of its participants and partners. This series will have transparent governance, one set of regulations, encourage more entrants and listen to the wishes of the fans, including offering lower prices for spectators worldwide, partners and other important stakeholders. The major drivers, stars, brands, sponsors, promoters and companies historically associated with the highest level of motorsport will all feature in this new series."
Williams and Force India have committed unconditionally to the FIA's world championship next year, along with three new entrants – Campos, US F1 and Manor. The FIA claims more would-be newcomers are waiting to replace teams that refuse to enter unconditionally.
Legal battles are likely because the FIA claims Ferrari and the two Red Bull teams have contracts that commit them long-term to the existing championship.