Ferrari and McLaren have played down rumours that there is talk of a breakaway Formula 1 championship amid continuing talks over the new Concorde Agreement.
Reports in various newspapers over the weekend have suggested that several of F1 teams are thinking about leaving the FIA-sanctioned championship to race in a separate, self-governed series.
“I can say definitively that we need the FIA as our arbitrator,†Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali said, quashing rumours that Ferrari are thinking about a breakaway.
The rumours are made even more credible with F1 Bernie Ecclestone threatening an alternative championship against the FIA in light of the FIA s recent vote of confidence for disgraced president Max Mosley. Ecclestone has met with several teams recently and everyone appears reluctant to reveal what has been said in the meetings.
“A lot of things are discussed in team principals’ meetings, and all of them are confidential,” McLaren boss Ron Dennis said. “A lot of things have, of course, therefore been discussed in the team principals’ meetings we’ve had this weekend. They’re therefore confidential.
“Do I, or does McLaren, believe that a breakaway series is likely? Absolutely not. As we said in our statement on our website, we’re looking forward to a period of stability for F1.”
