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F1 News
FOTA Press realease
Date:
26 March, 2009
PRESS RELEASE
26 March 2009
FOTA wish to clarify the situation regarding remarks that have been widely reported in the last few days concerning a meeting between members of FOTA and the Commercial Rights Holder.
The meeting, which took place in London on March 18th, involved John Howett, the Vice Chairman of FOTA, Flavio Briatore in his capacity as chairman of the Commercial Working Group of FOTA and Ron Dennis as a member of the Executive Committee of FOTA as well as Bernie Ecclestone, the Commercial Rights Holder. The FOTA representatives presented the unified views of all FOTA members.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss payment of money owed by CVC (the effective owners of the commercial rights to Formula One) to the teams and relates to agreed sums owing from the 2006, 2007 and 2008 championship years.
FOTA are committed to accelerate the signing of the new Concorde Agreement and, as part of the conditions necessary to obtain the signatures of all the teams, it was necessary to reach a conclusion to this outstanding matter.
During the discussions, any position stated by the members of FOTA who were present was supported by all members.
FOA issues media statement
Formula One Administration Limited (‘FOA’), the commercial rights holder of Formula One, wishes to clarify and correct inaccurate and misleading statements made to the media yesterday by “FOTA”:
In particular FOTA claimed that monies are owed by CVC (FOA’s controlling shareholder) to the teams for the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Championship seasons. Neither CVC nor FOA owes any amount to any team.
The contract between the commercial rights holder and the teams competing in Formula One, the so-called Concorde Agreement, expired at the end of 2007. All prize fund entitlements payable to the signatory teams under that arrangement were paid when due.
FOA has made new contracts with various teams currently competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship on an individual basis, whereby the team has committed to participate in the Championship for an agreed period in return for which FOA has agreed to pay a share of an annual prize fund generated from and calculated with reference to its profits. Each of these teams has been paid its full prize fund entitlement to date.
A few teams have yet to enter into a contract with FOA concerning their participation in the Championship, notwithstanding which FOA has made substantial payments to each of them on account of future prize fund entitlements they will have when they sign a contract, demonstrating FOA’s goodwill and intent to conclude a new arrangement with them.
FOA welcomes that the teams are engaging in constructive discussions to progress a new Concorde Agreement that will encompass all teams. FOA looks forward to finalising and concluding that contract with the teams in the coming weeks, at which time they will be paid whatever their entitlement will be under the new arrangement.
FOA has no relationship with FOTA. It has always had a direct relationship with teams and will continue to do so.
Friday Practice 1
Practice One - Rosberg heads a Williams one-two
For much of the first practice session of 2009, Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari held sway, but right at the end it was like old times from the Nineties as Williams went one-two, courtesy of Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima.
Just after 12.30 local time the two Force Indias led the cars out of the pits, and this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship was officially underway.
Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi was the first driver to record a time, 1m 36.659s, but soon Raikkonen was setting the pace for Ferrari with 1m 28.718s as the Swiss rookie worked down to 1m 32.788s.
It didn’t take long for problems to strike Red Bull, as Sebastian Vettel’s RB5 rolled to a halt in Turn 7 after 13 minutes.
Meanwhile, an interesting battle began as Brawn, McLaren, Williams, Toyota and Red Bull pushed closer to the Finn’s Ferrari. Heikki Kovalainen eventually nudged Raikkonen down with 1m 27.982s, and was in turn displaced by Rubens Barrichello on 1m 27.743s. Then Raikkonen struck back with a seemingly unassailable 1m 26.750s lap, which remained the best until a free-for-all developed in the final stages of the hour-and-a-half session. That was when Rosberg banged in 1m 26.687s and Nakajima jumped up to second with 1m 26.736s, just 0.049s adrift.
The Brawns were right up there in fourth (Rubens Barrichello, 1m 27.226s) and sixth (Jenson Button, 1m 27.467s) places, sandwiching Kovalainen’s McLaren (1m 27.453s).
Felipe Massa was seventh on 1m 27.642s, chased by Timo Glock on 1m 27.710s for Toyota and Adrian Sutil on 1m 27.993s for Force India.
The top 10 was rounded out by Fernando Alonso who took his Renault round in 1m 28.123s to head Nick Heidfeld (1m 28.137s), Jarno Trulli (1m 28.142s) and Robert Kubica (1m 28.511s). Then came Giancarlo Fisichella (1m 28.603s) and Buemi (1m 28.785s).
And Lewis Hamilton, the world champion? He was only 16th on 1m 29.042s ahead of Mark Webber (1m 29.081s), Nelson Piquet (1m 29.461s), and Sebastien Bourdais (1m 29.499s). Vettel, who only did four laps before his technical problem, believed to be hydraulic, was 20th on 1m 32.784s.
Both Ferrari drivers had minor off-course moments, Raikkonen in Turn 2, Massa in Turn 15, as they demonstrated that the new breed of cars is not all that forgiving. Hamilton had a couple of offs too, as did Barrichello, while Piquet spun in Turn 1.
The respective gaps between the Ferraris and the McLarens suggest that not all drivers were running the same strategies, and it is likely that we have yet to see the best from BMW Sauber and Toyota. As a season-opening session this threw up more questions than answers, which is just the way it should be.
FOTA Press realease
Date:
26 March, 2009
PRESS RELEASE
26 March 2009
FOTA wish to clarify the situation regarding remarks that have been widely reported in the last few days concerning a meeting between members of FOTA and the Commercial Rights Holder.
The meeting, which took place in London on March 18th, involved John Howett, the Vice Chairman of FOTA, Flavio Briatore in his capacity as chairman of the Commercial Working Group of FOTA and Ron Dennis as a member of the Executive Committee of FOTA as well as Bernie Ecclestone, the Commercial Rights Holder. The FOTA representatives presented the unified views of all FOTA members.
The purpose of the meeting was to discuss payment of money owed by CVC (the effective owners of the commercial rights to Formula One) to the teams and relates to agreed sums owing from the 2006, 2007 and 2008 championship years.
FOTA are committed to accelerate the signing of the new Concorde Agreement and, as part of the conditions necessary to obtain the signatures of all the teams, it was necessary to reach a conclusion to this outstanding matter.
During the discussions, any position stated by the members of FOTA who were present was supported by all members.
FOA issues media statement
Formula One Administration Limited (‘FOA’), the commercial rights holder of Formula One, wishes to clarify and correct inaccurate and misleading statements made to the media yesterday by “FOTA”:
In particular FOTA claimed that monies are owed by CVC (FOA’s controlling shareholder) to the teams for the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Championship seasons. Neither CVC nor FOA owes any amount to any team.
The contract between the commercial rights holder and the teams competing in Formula One, the so-called Concorde Agreement, expired at the end of 2007. All prize fund entitlements payable to the signatory teams under that arrangement were paid when due.
FOA has made new contracts with various teams currently competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship on an individual basis, whereby the team has committed to participate in the Championship for an agreed period in return for which FOA has agreed to pay a share of an annual prize fund generated from and calculated with reference to its profits. Each of these teams has been paid its full prize fund entitlement to date.
A few teams have yet to enter into a contract with FOA concerning their participation in the Championship, notwithstanding which FOA has made substantial payments to each of them on account of future prize fund entitlements they will have when they sign a contract, demonstrating FOA’s goodwill and intent to conclude a new arrangement with them.
FOA welcomes that the teams are engaging in constructive discussions to progress a new Concorde Agreement that will encompass all teams. FOA looks forward to finalising and concluding that contract with the teams in the coming weeks, at which time they will be paid whatever their entitlement will be under the new arrangement.
FOA has no relationship with FOTA. It has always had a direct relationship with teams and will continue to do so.
Friday Practice 1
Practice One - Rosberg heads a Williams one-two
For much of the first practice session of 2009, Kimi Raikkonen and Ferrari held sway, but right at the end it was like old times from the Nineties as Williams went one-two, courtesy of Nico Rosberg and Kazuki Nakajima.
Just after 12.30 local time the two Force Indias led the cars out of the pits, and this year’s FIA Formula One World Championship was officially underway.
Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi was the first driver to record a time, 1m 36.659s, but soon Raikkonen was setting the pace for Ferrari with 1m 28.718s as the Swiss rookie worked down to 1m 32.788s.
It didn’t take long for problems to strike Red Bull, as Sebastian Vettel’s RB5 rolled to a halt in Turn 7 after 13 minutes.
Meanwhile, an interesting battle began as Brawn, McLaren, Williams, Toyota and Red Bull pushed closer to the Finn’s Ferrari. Heikki Kovalainen eventually nudged Raikkonen down with 1m 27.982s, and was in turn displaced by Rubens Barrichello on 1m 27.743s. Then Raikkonen struck back with a seemingly unassailable 1m 26.750s lap, which remained the best until a free-for-all developed in the final stages of the hour-and-a-half session. That was when Rosberg banged in 1m 26.687s and Nakajima jumped up to second with 1m 26.736s, just 0.049s adrift.
The Brawns were right up there in fourth (Rubens Barrichello, 1m 27.226s) and sixth (Jenson Button, 1m 27.467s) places, sandwiching Kovalainen’s McLaren (1m 27.453s).
Felipe Massa was seventh on 1m 27.642s, chased by Timo Glock on 1m 27.710s for Toyota and Adrian Sutil on 1m 27.993s for Force India.
The top 10 was rounded out by Fernando Alonso who took his Renault round in 1m 28.123s to head Nick Heidfeld (1m 28.137s), Jarno Trulli (1m 28.142s) and Robert Kubica (1m 28.511s). Then came Giancarlo Fisichella (1m 28.603s) and Buemi (1m 28.785s).
And Lewis Hamilton, the world champion? He was only 16th on 1m 29.042s ahead of Mark Webber (1m 29.081s), Nelson Piquet (1m 29.461s), and Sebastien Bourdais (1m 29.499s). Vettel, who only did four laps before his technical problem, believed to be hydraulic, was 20th on 1m 32.784s.
Both Ferrari drivers had minor off-course moments, Raikkonen in Turn 2, Massa in Turn 15, as they demonstrated that the new breed of cars is not all that forgiving. Hamilton had a couple of offs too, as did Barrichello, while Piquet spun in Turn 1.
The respective gaps between the Ferraris and the McLarens suggest that not all drivers were running the same strategies, and it is likely that we have yet to see the best from BMW Sauber and Toyota. As a season-opening session this threw up more questions than answers, which is just the way it should be.
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