Breakaway a non-starter - Minardi chief

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has described the latest prospect of a breakaway world championship as nothing more than “idle threats” and “a non-starter.”

Five of Europe’s biggest manufacturers – Ferrari-Maserati, DaimlerChrysler, Renault, Ford and BMW – yesterday again sparked the possibility of civil war within Formula One.

The "gang of five", known collectively as the Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC), broke off negotiations with Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s supremo, regarding the future structure of Formula One.

In doing so they have scuppered a potential deal it was thought would have brought a £100m (€1.5m) cash injection to the paddock.

However, it was discovered earlier this season that money would have been divided between the five major manufacturers, cutting the other five teams - Toyota, Jordan, Sauber, BAR and Minardi – out of the financial loop.

The rift suggests the future of Formula One is in doubt, although a rival series would not start until 2008 anyway, but Stoddart believes the potential conflict is simply sabre-rattling and posturing.

The five teams may want to set their own agenda, but Stoddart defiantly claimed: “There will not be a breakaway world championship.

“If certain teams want to break away and form their own world championship, then fine. There will still be plenty of teams left – and Minardi will be one of them – racing in the FIA Formula One world championship.

“But it won’t happen. It’s just a non-starter. It’s what it has always been, a lot of idle threats.”

Talks planned in Monaco early next month between FIA president Max Mosley and the teams to discuss a document issued by motorsport’s governing body on Thursday detailing a number of radical rule changes, could now become even more fractious than first anticipated.

Mosley, looking to implement a degree of parity to a formula dominated by money and so lacking in spectacle, is determined to curb the spending power of the major manufacturers and ensure driver talent comes to the fore by dispensing with the hi-tech wizardry.

But Stoddart feels as has often happened in the past, the summit meeting will merely produce a lot of hot air – although he does have one novel solution to the problem.

“It should be like when they elect a pope – put everybody in a room, lock the bloody doors and until the white smoke comes out of the chimney, then nobody goes away,” stated Stoddart, head of a Minardi team with the smallest budget in Formula One.

“That’s the only way you are ever going to make any ground with this because we have talked about things for three years now and nothing has happened.

“It’s just sad we are going to have another round of discussions to discuss what we have already discussed.

“We are getting closer to finding a solution for all the problems in Formula One, and hopefully these meetings in Monaco will go some way towards doing it, but I’ve my doubts.

“It takes a long time to decide anything, and when you think you’ve decided something it all changes again.

“It’s about time people actually woke up to themselves, sat down and sorted out the problems instead of pretending to do it.

“But it’s simply an agenda right now, a discussion document, so let’s have the talks first and hopefully out of that there will be a compromise – there always is – and we’ll produce a set of technical regulations that will be good for 2008.

“Talk doesn’t pay bills, and I’m getting sick of the talk, so let’s have some action.”