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Sunday, 20 March, 2005, 05:14 GMT

Team boss warns of F1 'disaster'

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart Minardi boss Paul Stoddart has warned that Formula One faces the "disaster" of a split into two championships unless its political rows are solved.

Minardi are one of nine teams at loggerheads with Ferrari and F1 bosses, Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley.

"If anyone thinks this is not heading towards two championships in 2008, they haven't been in the same meetings that I've been in," Stoddart said.

"The politics are such that if we ignore them we do so at our peril."

The rebel group has a core of seven teams and car manufacturers DaimlerChrysler, Renault, BMW, Honda and Toyota, with independent teams Jordan and Red Bull biding their time.

They are demanding a greater share of the sport's revenues and transparent political and financial governance.

"Ferrari have negotiated an absolute veto - what good's that going to do?"
Paul Stoddart<
Minardi team boss


They also want an end to what they see as the favouritism directed at Ferrari by Mosley and Ecclestone.

But Stoddart said it was vital that the rival camp reopened channels of communication with Mosley, the president of the motorsport's governing body, the FIA.

"We've got to get Max and Ferrari back into the meetings," said Stoddart.

"There are problems, serious problems. We can either ignore them and hope they will go away... or we can deal with it to the point where commonsense does prevail and we actually all get round and talk about it."

Ferrari agreed in January to extend their contract with F1 until 2012 - the other teams are only committed until the end of 2007, when the Concorde Agreement that governs F1 runs out.

But Stoddart emphasised that the other teams could not agree to the new deal signed by Ferrari in January.

"My understanding is that Ferrari have negotiated in their signing of the new Concorde an absolute veto... just like the UN they can veto any decision made by the rest of the teams - on their own," said Stoddart.

"Well, what good's that going to do?"




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Related to this story:

Schumacher admits to title fears (20 Mar 05 |  Formula One )
Stoddart calls for Mosley's head (06 Mar 05 |  Formula One )
'Showdown looming' over F1 future (22 Feb 05 |  Formula One )
McLaren threaten to make F1 exit (19 Feb 05 |  Formula One )
Rival series issues team pledge (16 Feb 05 |  Formula One )
Breakaway F1 idea 'not credible' (16 Feb 05 |  Formula One )
Rival F1 series is 'not dead yet' (24 Jan 05 |  Formula One )
Ferrari abandon F1 breakaway plan (19 Jan 05 |  Formula One )

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