[ZesePreodaNed]

http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpa...s_art_id=39908

[GueseVekdet]

*Groan!*

So now we get to listen to USF1 waffle on for another 3 GP's "confirming" they'll be at the next GP.

Seriously!?!

[letmelogin]

Me believes it when me sees it with my own 2 eyes.

Probably just BE looking for a bit of attention again.

[ZesePreodaNed]

I wonder how Aguri Suzuki and Tom Waslkinshaw will feel when hearing this?

[GueseVekdet]

Me believes it when me sees it with my own 2 eyes.

Probably just BE looking for a bit of attention again.

True. I haven't found another site running the story yet...

[phpfoxmods]

I hope, as I imagine, this is just bull. The teams that aren't capable of making the first race should lose their entry and be replaced by Stefan and anyone else capable of running a team.

[medprof]

Right now, if I was Dave Richards, whenever I were to hear or see the word F1, I would probably randomly shout "Bunch of C***'s"
BE and Mr Whippy wanted the original £48m bond to rid the sport of the 5+ seconds a lap slower no hopers.

Anyone think USF1 will get within a month of Sundays to being worth a gob of spit?

[Draftcasino.com]

I wonder how Aguri Suzuki and Tom Waslkinshaw will feel when hearing this?

damn right, if arrows or super aguri couldn't do this, none of the new teams can't do it imo

[letmelogin]

I hope, as I imagine, this is just bull. The teams that aren't capable of making the first race should lose their entry and be replaced by Stefan and anyone else capable of running a team.

I think it is bull, the whole point under the terms of the concorde agreement and the $48million bond was to prevent teams from doing what BE is "allegedly" suggesting.

Like i said earlier, i'll believe it when I see it.

[55TRATTERENRY]

The teams that don't attend GPs will obviously score zero points at that GP. When it comes around to dishing out the revenues from TV rights, for the season following, all it means is that they are going to hurt themselves.

Heck in very rare circumstances, even Olivier Panis won a GP in a Ligier of all things.

[Eujacwta]

Tomorrow they will probably announce that only that you can disregard any 3 races from the championship and it's be another bloody circus.

This is supposed to be the pinnacle... This just makes F1 look cheap.

[Clesylafabada]

I hear that if your team name begins with "US" or "Camp" then you'll be allowed to field just one car, and that car is allowed to be a Formula Ford.

This is farcical

[casinochniks]

The circus rolls on...

[Clesylafabada]

Anyway... as I understand it Bernie's only referring to the Concorde Agreement. My understanding of the FIA rules is that teams undertake to field two cars at every event:

13.2 Applications shall include :
f) an undertaking by the applicant to participate in every Event with the number of cars and drivers entered. Source: pp 5-6 of http://argent.fia.com/web/fia-public...11-12-2009.pdf

So whatever Bernie's thoughts about TV revenue or race promoters, the actual rules don't allow for skipping races.

[phpfoxmods]

Yeah so can we get rid of the over enthusiastic prefix to this thread?

[Clesylafabada]

I think for many people, especially the media, Bernie is F1. It's easily forgotten that he's "merely" the race promoter and the rights holder, not the rule-maker.

Of course he has influence in those areas - although probably less than during the era when he was joined at the hip with Spanky - but it's the FIA who set the rules, not Mr Ecclestone.

[Phywhewashect]

I seem to remember reading, back in the mid-90's, that teams could miss a certain number of races, but if they did so, they would be fined a substantial amount per race. Meaning it's cheaper to turn up than not.

[Clesylafabada]

I seem to remember reading, back in the mid-90's, that teams could miss a certain number of races, but if they did so, they would be fined a substantial amount per race. Meaning it's cheaper to turn up than not.

Well that's a more general problem with the FIA's rulebook: it doesn't say what the punishment is. Like much of the FIA's decision making, I suspect it would be made up on the hoof and range from a slapped wrist to a multi-million dollar fine.

The whole rulebook needs clarifying so that everybody - teams, fans, stewards, media - knows that if you do X then the punishment is Y, not the random mess we have at the moment.

[bobibnoxx]

I can already imagine Peter Windsor's everlasting smiling face saying: "Do not worry, we are right on schedule to reach the fourth race of the Formula One season."

[Phywhewashect]

Well that's a more general problem with the FIA's rulebook: it doesn't say what the punishment is. Like much of the FIA's decision making, I suspect it would be made up on the hoof and range from a slapped wrist to a multi-million dollar fine.

No, at the time it was something specific like £500,000 per car per race.