Luca Di Montezemolo, FOTA Chairman, has suggested that the old-style “divide and conquer” methods used by Max Mosley and Bernie Ecclestone are not working anymore. He suggests that the power balance in F1 is changing and the current global recession is prompting an accelerated change in F1.
I’ve been intrigued by the formation of FOTA for some time now and felt that it may be the sports best hope for real longevity. The teams unified on what is good for the sport and seeking parity in its regulations. It seems that Luca feels the same:
“Time goes by, and in a few years’ time I will retire too,”
“The crisis perhaps accelerates this renovation process, which had to be faced anyway. I’ve known Ecclestone since 1973, and I think he’s done a great job. But a few years ago we argued: I called him greedy because of the revenues which were distributed 70 percent for him and 30 percent for all the teams. Now we are 50-50. We’ll have to do something more, we’ll see.
“What’s certain is that the time to divide and conquer to rule in F1 is over.”
