Ferrari launch scathing attack on FIA
Ferrari have criticised the FIA for allowing the three manufacturers to exit the sport
Tuesday, 23, Feb 2010 02:46
By Adam Leveridge
In a sarcastic and candid attack, Ferrari have slammed the FIA's policy to attract new teams to the sport when the championship has only recently lost three manufacturers to the global financial downturn, calling the situation Max Mosley's "holy war".
So far, only two of the four new entries to the formula one grid have made their on-track debut, with both USF1 and Campos Meta encountering financial difficulties before their projects have even got off the ground.
And Ferrari have laid into the FIA and Bernie Ecclestone, suggesting they should have concentrated on retaining manufacturers - such as BMW, Honda and Toyota - rather than attracting new teams.
"Of the thirteen teams who signed up, or were induced to sign up, for this year's championship, to date only eleven of them have heeded the call, turning up on track, some later than others, and while some have managed just a few hundred kilometres, others have done more, but at a much reduced pace," the Italian team said.
"This is the legacy of the holy war waged by the former FIA president [Max Mosley].
"The cause in question was to allow smaller teams to get into F1."
The futures of both USF1 and Campos Meta outfits remain uncertain, with Campos being dragged from the brink by an investment from former Midland and Spyker team principal Colin Kolles and USF1 relying on assistance from the FIA.
Ferrari is equally critical of the reported assistance from the FIA and Ecclestone - describing them as the American team's "white knight" and suggesting they might "expect USF1 to fulfil the role of loyal vassal".
Further condemnation is reserved for Stefan GP, a Serbian-based outfit who are well known to be waiting in the wings in the hope that one of the new entries will fail and they can take the reserved grid spots in 2010.
The Maranello team refers to Stefan GP as "the Serbian vultures", saying they had "picked the bones of Toyota on its death bed" and said the entire process of withdrawals and new entries had been handled poorly by the FIA.
"Two teams will limp into the start of the championship, a third is being pushed into the ring by an invisible hand - you can be sure it is not the hand of Adam Smith - and, as for the fourth, well, you would do better to call on missing persons to locate it," Ferrari added.
"In the meantime, we have lost two constructors along the way, in the shape of BMW and Toyota, while at Renault there's not much left other than the name. Was it all worth it?"
The first race of the new F1 season will be in Bahrain on March 14th.