Renault follow Ferrari with quit threat
RENAULT have joined Ferrari in threatening to abandon F1 if controversial plans to introduce a voluntary budget cap are imposed next season.
Several leading teams fear the optional nature of the £40m cap will create an unfair two-tier competition and damage the appeal of the sport.
Ferrari, the oldest and most glamorous team, went public with their opposition on Tuesday and Renault yesterday added to the pressure on motorsport chiefs to compromise by declaring their stance.
“The decision to introduce two sets of technical regulations for the 2010 season has caused the Renault Group to reconsider its entry in next year’s world championship,” said a statement. “Renault is of the firm view that all entrants in the world championship must adhere to and operate under the same regulations.”
F1 powerbrokers Max Mosley, president of governing body the FIA, and Bernie Ecclestone, the sport’s commercial rights-holder, will meet teams for crunch talks in London tomorrow.
The FIA announced the cap last month in a bid to lower costs in the world’s most expensive major sport and attract new teams to the grid. Aside from Renault and Ferrari, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso have also voiced disapproval at measures they feel have been forced through without adequate consultation.
Renault’s move came as Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo insisted the team would still be able to count on its “millions of fans” if the Italian team deserted F1 in favour of another competition.
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa joined condemnation of the plan, calling it “absurd”, while team-mate Kimi Raikkonen said it “wouldn’t be good for the sport itself or for the fans”.