The European Commission will not launch an investigation without the teams
For several months, the specter of a European Commission investigation has been looming over F1. However, it will not be launched unless the teams come forward themselves.
The distribution of F1 profits is the result of numerous bilateral agreements between the FOM and each team. This leads to significant disparities in treatment, as the top teams have managed to leverage their influence to obtain a larger share of the pie.
This leaves the smaller teams in a difficult situation, as demonstrated by the bankruptcy of Caterham and Marussia. But teams like Lotus and Sahara Force India also face significant difficulties. The latest sign of this is the petition filed by some Lotus suppliers in the British High Court to demand payment of overdue bills.
That is why some voices in the paddock were calling for the European Commission to open an investigation for obstruction of free competition. However, salvation from Brussels will not come spontaneously since the European authorities are waiting for a formal complaint to be filed by at least one team.
This is what Annelise Dodds, a member of the European Parliament, stated following her visit to Sahara Force India: « The commissioner in charge of the case clearly indicated to me that she could do nothing until the teams themselves filed a formal complaint. So if the teams believe it is the right thing to do, then they must do it. »
If Annelise Dodds has seized the subject, it is because she is the representative in which most of the teams are located. For her, F1 is not just a sport but an active driver of the local economy. The disappearance of teams thus has a definite impact on the economic environment of her constituency: « Since the fall of Marussia and Caterham last year, I have been very concerned about how things are going in Formula 1. It does not simply mean that two fewer teams are participating in the season. It means that hundreds of highly skilled people in my constituency have lost their jobs. That is why I have raised the issue many times in Brussels to see if there was a competition case to be made. »
The ball is therefore in the teams’ court. We will see if at least one of them believes that it has little to lose with the current status quo to cross the Rubicon…
With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr
