The FIA’s biased selection of new teams to compete in F1 next year surfaced again recently with the Serbian team StefanGP taking a complaint to the European Commission.
You’ll recall that the FIA favoured teams who promised to use Cosworth engines.
It seems that a number of other teams (ProDrive among them) were seriously upset but didn’t want to take the matter further for fear of compromising their position with the FIA in the other motorsport categories that they compete.
This is a seriously unhealthy use of authority on the part of the FIA.
It certainly seems to contravene the EC competition directives and it doesn’t ensure that costs for F1 teams will be reduced – the apparent reason the FIA chose to take that stance.
After all, any company that finds itself in a favoured position has a lot less incentive to keep costs under control. Just look at the old telecom monopolies.
It seems the controversy is about to erupt again as the FIA look for a replacement team for BMW.
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