The inter-team agreement to curb costs in formula one is at a crossroads as the latest rumours sweep across the paddock.
First it was Red Bull, but now Mercedes is the subject of the latest speculation about teams breaking the gentleman’s agreement known as the FOTA-sponsored resource restriction agreement (RRA).

The Mercedes rumours have gained strength since Mercedes signed Geoff Willis and Aldo Costa to join Mercedes’ existing technical bosses Ross Brawn and Bob Bell.

“Each of the teams and team principals continue to assure FOTA that they are abiding by the limitations that are contained within the RRA,” formula one teams association chairman Martin Whitmarsh said in Korea on Friday.

Red Bull has made clear it will only agree to a new agreement – one that “doesn’t involve commenting or politicking” – if the other teams don’t power speculation about breaches.

“Red Bull does favour the RRA being around, but in a way that’s clear, tangible, policeable and encompasses all of what formula one is rather than cherry-picking elements of it,” added team boss Christian Horner.

Mercedes figures including Brawn and Norbert Haug have this weekend denied the bolstering Brackley based team is stepping over the line in adhering to the RRA.

“I think for us, we’re respecting the RRA but I think it’s at a crossroads,” said team boss Brawn.

“I think it’s at a crossroads because it’s now starting to bite those three or four teams who have to control their resource to comply.

“The teams have to come together to find a solution … or else we will have a continuation of the problems that we’re having at the moment, all the comments, the rumour, the innuendo, the distrust.”

Christian Horner on Friday accused a “naughty” Ferrari of breaching the “spirit” of the in-season testing ban.

The Italian team tested its new Red Bull-like low exhaust layout at its own Fiorano test circuit last week, under the guise of a “filming and promotional” day.

Indeed, Ferrari did distribute media photos of the event and even a video of Fernando Alonso driving the car with a camera mounted on his helmet.

“It was arguably within the letter of the laws but not within the spirit,” Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, told the Telegraph.

“You don’t just run these cars – there has to be a lot of planning – and it wasn’t by mistake that they happened to run on that day with the new exhaust system,” he added.

Horner suggested that if Ferrari was really just running the F10 for filming purposes, the car did not need to be fitted with its important Valencia update.

“They managed to have a look at it, and they’ve probably learned a bit.  I’m sure there will be a lively debate at the next team principals’ meeting,” he predicted.

“I think it’s something that needs to be tidied up, because it’s effectively a gentlemen’s agreement, and it’s important that that should be respected.”

But it is true that the Ferrari was running with Bridgestone’s ultra-hard promotional tyres, and Alonso said the runs had been of little competitive value.

“I was running behind a car with cameras at 60kph so it was very stable,” the Spaniard joked.

“We did some laps also with no car in front, and ten cameras on the car and on the helmet, so it was not very comfortable to drive, and it was also the first time driving a Ferrari F1 car at Fiorano,” insisted Alonso.

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Defunct USF1 has been fined EUR 309,000 and barred from ever competing in formula one.

The American outfit, headed by principals Ken Anderson and journalist Peter Windsor, was granted an entry for the 2010 season but failed to appear.

USF1 has since liquidated its assets, and the sport’s governing body joined the list of creditors with a decision made public on Thursday.

A fine “equivalent to the entry fees for the championship” has been imposed, while USF1 is “definitely” excluded from “any competition” for breaching the sporting regulations and the international sporting code.

In a detailed verdict, the FIA said that because USF1 has no “current financial liquidity”, the fine is effectively the forfeiture of the fee already paid.

But USF1 has also been ordered to pay “the costs incurred by the FIA within the context of this disciplinary procedure”.

The FIA revealed that, during the hearing, USF1 claimed that due to “many negative press comments”, the team’s “sponsorship climate deteriorated after last Christmas.

Bernie Ecclestone’s statement in September last year that “possible USF1 are a doubt” was submitted as evidence, but the FIA retorted that USF1 could have countered the statement had the team’s “funding, sponsorship and construction processes been on target”.

USF1 even argued that negative media coverage amounted to ‘force majeure’, but the FIA procedure ruled there was “no evidence” of that.

(GMM)

USF1 will not launch a renewed bid to debut in formula one in 2011.

The American team failed to be ready for its 2010 debut, but the recently quiet principals Ken Anderson and Peter Windsor had reportedly not ruled out trying to secure the final 13th berth on next year’s grid.

The news emerged by way of a statement issued by engine supplier Cosworth, who said its contract with USF1 has been terminated.

Cosworth said it has taken the action “following the (USF1) team’s decision to liquidate its assets as notified by its announcement to creditors dated 19 May 2010″.

Cosworth said that until USF1 decided to liquidate, the British marque had supported the team “over the last few months” in preparing for “a proposed entry for the 2011 season”.

The statement added: “Cosworth is a significant creditor of USF1, and will therefore join the other creditors of the team in seeking settlement of outstanding debts from the managed disposal of the remaining assets of the team.”

Formula One motor-racing teams have agreed to change the World Championship’s scoring system for the second time in the last two months, aiming to reward the winners and encourage pilots to try more passing maneuvers.

The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) indicated last month that the scoring system will be extended to the first ten classified pilots, instead of the eight, with 25 points for the winner of the race, and not ten as previously.

In any case, some of the team principals confirmed to ‘Reuters’ agency that a new readjustment has been made, which is pending official approval.  Hence, from 25-20-15-10-8-6-5-3-2-1 it will change to 25-18-15-12-10-8-6-4-2-1.

Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren sporting director and team principal stated he was not quite convinced with the change, but that he would not vote against it.  ”We have to take this to the World Motor Sport Council meeting next Monday and see what the result is,” he warned.

“Personally, I think that changing the point system will not make a radical difference.  The original idea was that if the incentive to overtake the other pilots was raised, they would try harder to do so, but the young men I see in Formula One without any doubt already try hard, so I’m not absolutely convinced,” Whitmarsh added, while he declared that he did approve of the ban to fill up, so to encourage pilots overtaking the other cars.