Towards a Disappearance of the FOTA?

The FOTA, the association of Formula 1 teams, seems to be going through a rough patch that could lead to its demise. Indeed, according to *The Telegraph*, the non-payment of its members, disagreements over its purpose, and the loss of its President are said to be shaking this institution founded in 2008.

The primary objective of the FOTA was to provide a way for teams to negotiate through a union, but with only 7 members out of the 11 teams in the paddock – since the departures of Ferrari, Red Bull, Sauber, and Toro Rosso at the end of 2011 – things have become complicated.

Moreover, Martin Whitmarsh – stripped of his power at McLaren following Ron Dennis’s return – might not continue as Chairman, which, according to the British publication, was never to McLaren’s liking. Consequently, Eric Boullier, vice-president, might also have to step back from his role within FOTA, which would leave the organization without leadership.

Robert Fernley, deputy director of the team Sahara Force India, confided to the Telegraph explaining that the departure of Ferrari and Red Bull had been detrimental: « We have to acknowledge that it was a missed opportunity. I don’t think there are any questions about that, but we can’t go back in terms of our current situation. Unfortunately, we lost an opportunity to work collectively and reach an agreement with the commercial rights holders, but that’s how it is. »

But he still expressed confidence about the return of the two teams to the FOTA, believing that there are very good chances of this happening in the future.

One of the problems of FOTA was its strained relations with Bernie Ecclestone, but Fernley believes both entities are moving in the same direction: « Naturally, Bernie might have seen this as a threat when you are looking to engage in collective bargaining. But when you consider setting up forums for fans and working on promoting Formula 1, it’s clear that we would like to do this in coordination with Formula One Management. We are trying to align with them and improve these operations. »

Following the departures of Ferrari and Red Bull – followed by Sauber and Toro Rosso – the scope of action for the FOTA has been significantly reduced, particularly on important issues such as the new Concorde Agreements. The association subsequently had to refocus on less significant activities, such as fan forums, liaising with circuits on facilities, or negotiating an agreement for tire covers with Pirelli.

Graeme Lowdon, head of the Marussia F1 team, believes that the loss of the FOTA would be really unfortunate, arguing that if it happened it would be due to the teams’ differences in priorities: “I think it would be really unfortunate if there wasn’t a meeting between the teams to discuss the issues. The teams should have common goals. We experience really similar things. We all work with the same regulations, we go to the same places. In a really effective structure, it could play a really important role. It’s difficult when you have some teams whose main objective is financial survival, and for others, the promotion of a product.”