Quote:
Originally Posted by bobby
big bucks vs big ego's.....manufactures win
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Maybe.
The FIA certifies all the tracks and issues all the competition drivers licenses. If a renegade series were to be formed it would be difficult to find tracks that would be willing to exclude themselves from ever running a FIA sanctioned event again. And any driver that would compete in the new series would never be allowed to compete in a FIA event in the future. The FIA doesn't control every race, for instance LeMans is ACO. However even if the FIA doesn't hold all the cards it holds enough to effectively emasculate a new series. The FIA threatened to do just this back in the early 90s when CART first ran at Surfers Paradise. They threatened to pull the competition licenses from any road course outside of North America that hosted a CART race. That left CART to run only ovals world wide. Eventually there was a resolution that allowed CART/Champ Car to run road courses (Brands Hatch and Assen - maybe more). By then CART/Champ Car was on its death bed. A new manufacturer supported series would not find the FIA so generous, in my opinion. Some manufacturers own race tracks. Fuji is owned by Toyota and Honda owns Suzuka and Twin Ring Motegi. Its possible that Toyota could provide Fuji as a venue without regards to what the FIA would do. Honda on the other hand is out of F1 so I'm not sure why they would wish to help their competitors in promoting their brands. Some tracks in the US may not care, possible the Long Beach street circuit or Road America. But Long Beach has the IRL for at least two more years and Road America would be way too rustic for the 'refined' tastes of the majority of the current F1 teams.
I don't agree with Max Moseley and some of the crap that's come out of the FIA but I won't bet against them. There will continue to be a Formula 1 series next year. We may not recognize many of the teams, but there will be a series.
BTW - I do like your Formula Libre suggestion. I like that a lot.