Ferrari and Red Bull have left FOTA
Due to disagreements between the teams on the RRA - the limitation of team budgets, Red Bull and Ferrari have reportedly decided to leave FOTA - the Formula One Teams Association.
The Scuderia Ferrari and Red Bull Racing are said to have decided to leave FOTA, which includes the Formula 1 teams on the grid except for HRT. At least that’s what Autosport believes, citing high-ranking sources within the two teams.
According to the British publication, it is because of the RRA – Resource Restriction Agreement, that these two teams have decided to withdraw from FOTA. Stefano Domenicali and Christian Horner had stated that the usefulness of FOTA needed to be reconsidered, and it seems their conclusions have led them to leave the Formula 1 Teams Association.
According to a spokesperson for the FOTA, the association has indeed received requests from two teams to leave the FOTA, but he did not wish to disclose names. Furthermore, if this information is confirmed, Ferrari and Red Bull will not officially leave the FOTA for another two months as per the FOTA’s statutes.
The FOTA confirms that it has received the resignation of two teams. While considering its future, the FOTA will continue to work on behalf of its members to achieve the organization’s objectives, the spokesperson stated.
Update:
The Scuderia Ferrari confirmed on its website that it is indeed leaving the FOTA after informing its President Martin Whitmarsh. The Italian team praised the work done by the FOTA since its inception and it will remain committed to a process of cost reduction and in developing the RRA.
But Ferrari believes that Formula 1 should be a testing ground for “Everyman’s” cars: Formula 1, like the rest of the world in fact, is currently going through a difficult period. Ferrari wants to work with all parties for the future of a sport that expresses the highest level of technology in motorsport. We must return to a situation where Formula 1 is a testing ground for advanced technological research, the results of which can be transferred to Grand Touring cars, Ferrari states on its website.
Red Bull also confirmed in a press release that it had decided to leave FOTA. However, like Ferrari, it wishes to continue working with its rivals on a new cost-reduction project in Formula 1.
