FRIDAY, JULY 10 2009 C9 ●
NORWEGIAN
FORMULA ONE AT WAR AGAIN
Fota upset after being
told by FIA at meeting
it has no voting rights
NUERBURGRING: After two weeks of un-
easy peace, Formula One is at war again
and the threat of a breakaway series has
been resurrected. And it is not just fans
who will be fed up.
The chairman of the Australian Grand
Prix yesterday threatened to axe the Mel-
bourne event if the sport cannot resolve
its political problems.
On Wednesday, the eight Formula One
Teams Association (Fota) led by Ferrari
stormed out of a meeting with ruling
body FIA. They had met to discuss techni-
cal regulations for next season.
Instead, the teams were told they had
no voting rights because they had not en-
tered the 2010 championship yet.
That was despite the fact the eight
Alonso
could
join
Ferrari by
Sept 11
MADRID: It will not be long before Fernan-
do Alonso, the two-time world champi-
on, is sporting the scarlet of Ferrari.
Well, at least that is what newspaper re-
ports from Spain and Italy are saying.
Spanish sports newspapers Marca and
AS reported yesterday that negotiations
between the Renault star and Ferrari are
close to completion and could become of-
ficial at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza
on Sept 11.
The Italian press put the date at Nov
15. That is when Ferrari will host their
World Finals at the Ricardo Tormo Cir-
cuit at Valencia, allowing the Scuderia to
unveil Alonso in front of his home fans.
Either way, there is a growing feeling
in the paddock that the move will happen
despite Ferrari insisting the talk is just
that: talk.
Alonso, currently ninth in the driver’s
championship table, has expressed dissat-
isfaction with Renault’s under-perform-
ing R29 model, even though engineers
say radical improvements are on the way.
The 27-year-old Spaniard, who won
the drivers’ championships in 2005 and
2006, is under contract with the French
manufacturer until the end of next year
but has a get-out clause.
Ferrari are believed to be less than hap-
py with 2007 title-winner Kimi Raikon-
nen, currently 10th in the table. There
has been plenty of doubt over the Finn’s
commitment – especially in the light of
his recent forays into rallying.
But Raikkonen’s contract, like team-
mate Felipe Massa’s, ends only after next
season. Which means if Ferrari want to re-
place him, they will have to pay his full
¤28 million (S$57.1 million) fee.
Meanwhile, the focus at this week-
end’s German Grand Prix at the Nuerbur-
gring will be on rising star Sebastian Vet-
Four more years for StanChart
BY LIN XINYI
WHILE sponsors around the world have
been pulling out of sporting events, Stand-
ard Chartered Bank is in it for the long run.
Yesterday, it renewed its title sponsor-
ship of the Standard Chartered Singapore
Marathon for a further four years. The
sponsorship is worth more than $10 mil-
lion – or over $2.5 million a year.
This makes the sponsorship for the mar-
quee event the largest for a local mass par-
ticipation event.
Close to 50,000 runners took part in
last year’s race, which saw Standard Char-
tered increase its title sponsorship from
$1.05 million to $2 million.
The prize purse remains unchanged at
US$270,000 (S$393,000).
teams had been listed for next season by
the FIA after a gentleman’s agreement be-
tween the president, Max Mosley, and Fo-
ta chairman Luca di Montezemolo in Par-
is on June 24.
The meeting culminated in Mosley
promising to step down and the scrap-
ping of his controversial £40 million
(S$96 million) budget cap.
“To subsequently go against the Paris
agreement puts the future of Formula
One in jeopardy,” Fota warned.
The FIA’s position is that until the
eight Fota members sign a new Concorde
agreement, a document that will tie the
teams to Formula One till 2012, they will
not be considered 2010 entries.
It is very much a chicken-and-egg situ-
ation over what is agreed first – the new
regulations or the new Concorde Agree-
ment – as both are intrinsically linked.
The FIA’s motives are unclear.
Mosley is clearly still seething at the
way his exit was portrayed by Fota as a
humiliating defeat. He also has the
While Vettel (left) eyes the German GP, Ferrari aim to unveil Alonso as their driver at the Italian GP. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
tel, who could become the first German
to win his home Grand Prix since sev-
en-time champion Michael Schumacher
retired in 2006.
The 22-year-old Vettel finished ahead
of teammate Mark Webber for his second
victory of the season as Red Bull dominat-
ed the previous race at Silverstone.
Champion leader Jenson Button fin-
ished sixth and his Brawn GP teammate
Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello
third.
Vettel, one of five German drivers ex-
Standard Chartered Bank Singapore
chief executive Lim Cheng Teck said: “It is
important that homegrown events, espe-
cially those that embrace the local commu-
nity, continue to grow and flourish.”
Having pledged its commitment until
2012, Lim hopes to make the marathon not
only the best in Asia but also among the
world’s top marathons.
New Balance was also unveiled as this
year’s new apparel sponsor.
The announcement was witnessed by
guest of honour and Minister for Communi-
ty Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivi-
an Balakrishnan.
Said Singapore Sports Council chief ex-
ecutive officer Oon Jin Teik: “The commit-
ment ensures the long-term future of the
event, especially at a time when sporting
events have been postponed due to the cur-
long-standing aim of trying to dilute the
manufacturer teams’ power.
Beyond that, he will almost certainly
be accused of trying to make mischief dur-
ing his final days in the sport, reported
The Telegraph – if indeed he does stand
down in October.
Yesterday, the battle was played out in
the media. Issuing a statement entitled
Setting The Record Straight, the FIA rub-
bished Fota’s claim the sport was again
“in jeopardy”.
The FIA insisted the budget cap will be
abandoned, as desired by Fota, and that a
new Concorde agreement will be ready to
be signed in a matter of days.
But Fota is clearly exasperated, and
may now think there is little merit in con-
tinuing discussions with a body which
continues to frustrate it at every turn.
Ferrari’s press statement yesterday
made that clear, agreeing with a Daily
Mail commentary which read “For all our
sakes, this gruesome pair (Mosley and
Bernie Ecclestone) can’t be removed from
public life quickly enough.”
pected to line up on the starting grid on
Sunday, believes that improvements to
his Red Bull RB5 car and home advantage
will give him an edge even if the slower
corners may play to his rivals’ strengths.
He said: “For me, I’d say it’s like a soc-
cer match when you play on your home
ground.
“You always give 100 per cent, but in a
home race you’re even more motivated be-
cause you feel comfortable.”
Still, no driver has been so dominant
as Button by the halfway point of the sea-
rent economic climate.”
The sponsorship news comes as a boost
for the Singapore sports industry, after the
global economic downturn resulted in a
number of major sporting events being cut
from the local calendar.
For instance, the future of the Lexus
Cup is uncertain after title sponsor Lexus
announced in May that it would not renew
its four-year contract.
Earlier this year, Singapore lost the
right to host the series opener of the Inter-
national Triathlon Union World Champion-
ships owing to a lack of sponsors.
The inaugural Rugby World Cup Chal-
lenge was also cancelled because of insuffi-
cient funding.
However, the Standard Chartered Singa-
pore Marathon has gone from strength to
strength.
STRIKES
Thor Hushovd of Norway
wins sixth stage of the
Tour de France. C11
It was a call echoed by Ron Walker,
chairman of the Australian Grand Prix
Corporation.
“If the disunity continues, Melbourne
will seriously consider its position on con-
tinuing with F1,” he told Melbourne's Age
newspaper. “In my view, Mosley should
walk away with dignity rather than slow-
ly strangle to death the great F1 brand.”
The pressure on Ecclestone now must
be enormous. Already reeling from the
howls of protest that accompanied com-
ments regarding Adolf Hitler last week-
end, there is talk CVC Capital, which
owns the F1 rights, may even try to un-
seat him if he cannot get his house back
in order.
It is still uncertain whether he will at-
tend the German Grand Prix on Sunday.
If he does, he is likely to be given the
cold shoulder by race officials. But, if Ec-
clestone stays away, motor racing insid-
ers say it will be tantamount to admitting
that his position has become untenable.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, BLOOMBERG
son and not gone on to win the champion-
ship. The Englishman holds a 23-point
lead over Barrichello and 25 over Vettel
and he has vowed to make amends for Sil-
verstone.
“We’re looking forward to show what
the car can do at the Nuerburgring,” the
29-year-old said.
Defending world champion Lewis Ham-
ilton, who has given up in his quest to re-
tain his title, admitted that without any
improvements this weekend, he will strug-
gle again.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
FABREGAS WANTED
Real Madrid and
Barcelona are gunning
for Arsenal’s captain.
C11
BACK ON TOP
Swimmer Michael Phelps
picks up two golds in
the US Nationals.
C11
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YOUR SAY
쐽 The threat of a Formula One
breakaway was revived after eight
teams walked out of talks with the
sport’s governing body and said the
future of the racing series was again
at risk. The Formula One Teams
Association said its members left the
discussion on next year’s rules after
being told by the Federation
Internationale de l’Automobile that
they had not entered the 2010
championship and therefore had no
voting rights on technical and
sporting regulations. Do you think the
future of the F1 series is shaky?
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