Formula One Teams Association
 The logo of FOTA | |
| Abbreviation | FOTA |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
Region served | International |
Chairman | Martin Whitmarsh |
Vice Chairman | Éric Boullier |
Technical Regulations | James Allison[1] |
Sporting Regulations | Graeme Lowdon[1] |
| This article is part of a series on |
| Formula One |
|---|
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The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) was a group of Formula One teams that was formed at a meeting in Maranello on 29 July 2008.[2] This organisation gives the teams a united voice in their ongoing discussions with the FIA and The Formula One Group regarding the future of Formula One. It is headed by McLaren Team Principal Martin Whitmarsh, who was appointed in December 2009.[3] The first task of FOTA was to negotiate the terms of the new Concorde Agreement, the commercial contract which governs the championship.
The group will also discuss the proposal to the FIA for the Formula One regulations for the 2011 Formula One season. Team Principal of the Mercedes team, Ross Brawn, had offered his services to co-ordinate this activity.
FOTA's Presidents
- Luca Cordero di Montezemolo - Ferrari - Italy (2008-2009)
- Martin Whitmarsh - McLaren - Great Britain (2009- )
FOTA's Secretary General
- Simone Perillo - Italy - (2008-2011)
- Oliver Weingarten - Great Britain - (2011- )
Budget Cap Row
In May 2009, the FOTA teams announced their intention not to sign up for the 2010 championship until the FIA agreed to change the proposed regulations. FOTA disagreed with several of the proposals, the most contentious being the introduction of a £40m budget cap. With the 29 May deadline approaching the Williams and Force India teams broke ranks, lodged their applications for 2010 and were promptly suspended from FOTA.[4][5] Following lengthy discussions, on the evening of 18 June 2009, FOTA announced a breakaway "Grand Prix World Championship" series from F1. The WilliamsF1 and Force India teams would not participate in the breakaway series because of their contractual obligation with the FIA.[6] However, on 24 June 2009, FOTA reached agreement with the FIA over the 2010 season rules and ergo dropped their plans for the break-away series.[7]
On 8 July 2009 the eight FOTA teams walked out of a meeting with the FIA to discuss 2010 rules at the Nürburgring.[8] They accused the FIA of putting the sport in jeopardy.[9] A FOTA press release clamied that Charlie Whiting informed them that all eight FOTA teams were not entered in the 2010 championship, even though the FOTA members were included on the “accepted” entry list as endorsed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council and communicated by a FIA press statement on June 24. FOTA tried to postpone the July 8 meeting, this was rejected on the grounds that no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved.[10]
However, it was clear to the FOTA teams that the basis of the 2010 technical and sporting regulations was already established in Paris. As endorsed by the WMSC and clearly stated in the FIA press statement of 24 June “the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to 29 April 2009”. At no point in the Paris discussions was any requirement for unanimous agreement on regulations change expressed.[10]
As a result of these statements, the FOTA representatives at the subsequent Technical Working Group were not able to exercise their rights and therefore had no option other than to terminate their participation.[10]
Nevertheless, the involved parties were able to sign a new Concorde Agreement, agree on resource restrictions and new sporting and technical regulations for the 2010 season at a meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council on July 31, 2009. All of the FOTA teams signed the new Concorde Agreement except for BMW Sauber, which had announced its withdrawal from the sport at the end of 2009 two days previously.[11]
On 9 September 2009 FOTA held a meeting in Monza and re-admitted both Williams and Force India into full membership.[12] On 26 November 2009 it was confirmed that the final two "new" teams were to join FOTA,[13] meaning all 12 teams participating in the 2010 Formula One season were members of the organisation. In December 2010, however, Hispania Racing left the organisation. A spokesperson was quoted as citing the politics of the association favouring the larger teams as the reason for the team's departure.[14] However, the FOTA's secretary-general, Simone Perillo, said that the team was expelled because it had not paid its 2010 annual membership fee of €100,000.[15] Red Bull Racing, Scuderia Ferrari[16] and Sauber pulled out of FOTA in early December 2011.[17]
Member teams
The association consists of the following teams.[18]
Non-members who race in Formula 1
References
- ^ a b "FOTA Structure and Governing bodies". Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ "Formation of FOTA". grandprix.com. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ "Whitmarsh heads FOTA". grandprix.com. Retrieved 2008-07-31.
- ^ Strang, Simon (2009-05-27). "Williams team suspended by FOTA". Autosport. Retrieved 2009-05-27.
- ^ "F1 stars back teams in budget row". BBC Sport. 2009-06-07. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (2009-06-18). "FOTA teams to launch breakaway series". Autosport. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
- ^ "F1 deal ends threat of breakaway". BBC Sport. 2009-06-24. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (2009-07-08). "FOTA teams walk out of FIA meeting". Autosport. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (2009-07-08). "FOTA says FIA putting F1 in jeopardy". Autosport. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
- ^ a b c http://www.teamsassociation.org/press-release/2009-07-08/press-release Press Release | Formula One Teams Association
- ^ Beer, Matt (2009-08-01). "New Concorde Agreement finally signed". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ^ http://www.teamsassociation.org/press-release/2009-09-09/press-release-monza Press Release | Formula One Teams Association
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (2009-11-26). "Lotus, Manor get FOTA membership". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
- ^ "Hispania no longer a member of FOTA". thef1times.com. The F1 Times. 2011-01-08. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (2011-01-10). "HRT confirms FOTA split". autosport.com. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|coauthor=ignored (|author=suggested) (help) - ^ "Ferrari and Red Bull leave Fota". BBC. 2 December 2011. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
- ^ "Sauber also leaves FOTA Information". Yahoo! Sports/Eurosport. 2011-12-07. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
- ^ "FOTA Teams". teamsassociation.org. Retrieved 2010-01-08.
- ^ a b Noble, Jonathan (2011-12-02). "Ferrari and Red Bull Racing withdraw from FOTA". Autosport. Retrieved 2012-10-08. Cite error: The named reference "RBRFerrari" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (2011-12-07). "Sauber also confirms FOTA exit, Scuderia Toro Rosso could follow". Autosport. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan and Tremayne, Sam (2012-02-22). "Ross Brawn says F1's competitors could end up regretting that four teams quit FOTA". Autosport. Retrieved 2012-10-08.
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