Zoom Montezemolo fully ready to turn the page

Formula One bosses' glut of meetings will roll into yet another week on Monday, as the rebel FOTA alliance jets into Heathrow airport.

After the May 29 entry application deadline and the June 12 publication of the 2010 entry list by the sport's governing body FIA, the next 'D-Day' is set for Friday June 19.

The latest demand from the FIA is that the eight Formula One Teams Association members' conditional entries be dropped by that date. Renault, Ferrari, Toyota, BMW, McLaren, Brawn, Red Bull and Toro Rosso continue to insist that their own common demands be met.

The hope for the next London summit must be that the seemingly ever-deteriorating, ever-improving crisis can be resolved before the Friday close-of-business deadline, when the cars are due to be practicing at Silverstone ahead of the British Grand Prix.

The F1 drama intervened even at Le Mans this weekend, where the French circuit played host to the world-famous 24 hour sports car race.

FOTA chairman and Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo was on hand to start the fabled event, and took another opportunity to warn that the teams are serious about abandoning the Formula One series.

"If it is necessary, the big manufacturers are ready to organise an alternative World Championship," he told Italy's Sky television.

As for the coincidence of the F1 crisis and his visit to the Circuit de la Sarthe, Montezemolo admitted that seeing a red car in the top LMP1 class at Le Mans is a possibility: "A Ferrari at Le Mans? Why not?"

"If we can no longer race in F1 this would definitely be an option."

On Friday the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association released a statement supporting the FOTA teams and insisted that "the current governance system cannot continue."

The ACEA also indicated its readiness to assist the FOTA members in establishing "an alternative way to practice this sport in a manner which provides clarity, certainty of rules and administration, and a fair allocation of revenues to the competing teams."

D.B. © CAPSIS International
Source: GMM