From the FIA's website:

"
The FIA’s lawyers have now examined the FOTA threat to begin a breakaway series. The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law. The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay.

Preparations for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship continue but publication of the final 2010 entry list will be put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights."

I for one am all for a breakaway series! It will be nothing like the Indycar split.

 

Ahaha.

 

suprise ,suprise...
now let the party begin

 

I wonder what type of "contractual relations" they violated. Not sure of the specifics of their actions but simply saying we don't like your rules and are going to make our own series seems perfectly fine, not like they locked in for next year and are backing out

 

Actually, isn't Ferrari contractually obligated until 2012 or something like that?

 

And Its ON!!

"FIA sues the FOTA over breakaway series"

"Barely a half a day has passed since the FOTA announced it start a breakaway championship, and as predicted, the FIA has announced it's suing the rebel teams. The FIA's sternest words were aimed at Ferrari, saying "The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including willful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law."

Max Mosley has been saying for months that F1 can do without the Ferrari and its rebel cohorts, and that the teams would be left off the 2010 championship entry list if they didn't come into line. Apparently, even though the sport can survive without them, and even though there are plenty of other teams applying to get into F1, the FIA would rather not explore that option. Hence the 2010 entry list has been "put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights."

Call us crazy, but it looks like the FIA knows who puts the gold in the coffers. In one of the many statements made before the racing and litigating begins this weekend, BMW's normally reserved Mario Thiessen said that the FIA's position was unacceptable, and McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh said that a breakaway series would "be recognized as the major championship." - From AutoBlog

 

Max Mosley has to go once and for all. Pay him off with all the nazi dominatrix hookers he wants and send him on his way!

 

Yawn... Saw this coming from a mile away. Dana, do you have any more insight into what could happen here?

Seems to me as if the FIA and Formula 1 has finally come to the same realization we've had for quite some time that if the big teams leave the sport, so do the fans. I have a hunch that Max will back down before the new FOTA series rule book is even written. That's a shame though, because I'd really love to see those 8 teams plus some other riff-raff duke it out old school style.

 

I"m hoping Max doesn't back down. Just like Nascar, Formula 1 has moved away from the Historical tracks and my opinion the fans. With Max having contracts with the tracks that have poor attendance, the breakaway series will have to look at some of the old tracks.

 

I think this is awesome! And I don't see the issue of the two leagues. I think Formula 1 with all the big boy teams is pretty much gonna be the same. The "old F1" will be all the smaller guys. In essence its going to be a name change. Old F1 to New F1


I think this shows real balls by the teams to stand up for the fans and themselves. They know it is to expensive for fans ect ect and have tried countless times to get the FIA to redue some ideas and they wouldn't budge. f them, now whats up


Maybe we will get a US race!!!!!!!!!!! Laguna Seca anyone?!


And if they have contractual agreements, is it possible they just race some older car, no new developments and just puposley do it as inexpensive as possible until there time runs out? Having an un-competative Ferrari, BMW, McLaren would suck to watch as bad as them not at all. And put all of there funding into the New F1?



I can't wait to see how this unfolds!