Mosley plan provokes fury

Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, the governing body of international motor sport, yesterday escalated the war with the rebel Formula One teams by signalling his intent to change the way in which the sport's rules are formulated.

Max Mosley, the president of the FIA, the governing body of international motor sport, yesterday escalated the war with the rebel Formula One teams by signalling his intent to change the way in which the sport's rules are formulated.

At the FIA's headquarters in Paris, joined only by Ferrari and representatives of Red Bull Racing and Jordan from among the rebel teams, Mosley said the first draft of the 2008 Formula One technical regulations will be finalised no later than 27 May for submission to the World Motor Sport Council meeting, to be held on 29 June, and that subject to WMSC approval a draft would be circulated on 1 July to all the main stakeholders in Formula One.

The remaining rebel teams, who refused to attend yesterday's meeting, have taken this as a deliberate breach of protocol. They responded that Mosley is contractually bound by the existing Concorde Agreement to give all of the stakeholders who comprise the Formula One Commission - including the teams - a say in the formulation of the rules before they are presented to the WMSC. They argued that by instigating what they see as a provocative move, Mosley intends to destabilise their unity and pre-empt their own proposals for the new regulations.

Mosley has promised that proposed amendments will be incorporated into the final draft before it is submitted for approval to the FIA General Assembly in Rome on 28 October, but weary and angry team principals may now finally be considering legal action against the FIA.