F1 future still looks bright - Mosley

Motor racing chief Max Mosley is confident that the threat of a breakaway series from Formula One will not materialise in 2008.

But Mosley, president of the governing body, FIA, has admitted that the rival series could go ahead if the major car manufactures cannot reach agreement with F1 ringmaster Bernie Ecclestone.

“I still suspect that sometime between now and 2008 that this situation will be resolved without it ever coming to two championships, but at the moment it is set fair for two championships,” said Mosley, in Imola for this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix.

All 10 team bosses signed a memorandum of agreement with the organisers of the Grand Prix World Championship last week.

The GPWC – set up by Ford, Fiat, Renault, DaimlerChrysler and BMW, who are all linked to F1 teams – want a greater share of the revenue that comes into the sport.

They have threatened to break away when the Concorde Agreement which governs the sport expires and so far months of negotiations between the manufacturers, Ecclestone and the banks acting for the bankrupt Kirch media empire have failed to bring an agreement.

“It’s beginning to look as though my prediction that they – the GPWC, Bernie and the banks – would all reach agreement was wrong,” added Mosley.

“I know they (GPWC) have made offers to Bernie and the banks and they have been rejected and he (Ecclestone) and his associates have made offers to them which have been rejected.

“They have all been negotiating now for many, many months, which makes you think they are not going to reach agreement – but, on the other hand, it is a very long time in the future.

“I think in the end the whole thing will probably sort itself out, but there is no reason why you cannot have two championships.

“It is by no means certain that all the teams that signed the memorandum of understanding would enter the GPWC World Championship rather than the FIA World Championship.

“It is by no means certain that those teams will be in business by 2008 and it is no by means certain that all the GPWC manufacturers will still be involved in F1.

“What would happen is that the teams, the promoters and the media would play one off against another and this dream of more money would run into significantly less money. That is the reality of life.

“When that dawns, it may well be everybody will start talking. Most of the teams are concerned about the next three races rather than something in 2008.”