Cold Fussion wrote: ↑12 Jun 2026, 18:52
ScottB wrote: ↑12 Jun 2026, 15:41
Because the inmates are the asylum, to link to the post above.
Where is the value, the teams or the brand? Ultimately it's the teams, as they previously threatened to leave. A 'GP1' with Ferrari and Mclaren would win out over an F1 that found itself with a logo and I guess, scrambling around for F2 teams to plug the gap...
The FIA can make regulations, sure, because the teams / Liberty let them do it. If the FIA go too far, we start hearing noise about the teams / Liberty bailing again.
I think any hypothetical split scenario would have the teams breaking away from FOM and/or the FIA with the teams setting up a direct ownership model of an entity like FOM, more akin to how the English Premiere League formed.
They could do that if they wanted to race on Mars or the Moon, but they couldn't do that on planet Earth. If you think Liberty Media paid $4.4 billion for the Formula 1's commercial rights business only for it to be easily broken up, you've got another thing coming. Their lawyers have made sure it's iron clad BEFORE they bought anything.
FOM stands for Formula One Management, the company that manages the commercial side of Formula 1. FOM is ultimately controlled by Liberty Media, which acquired Formula 1's commercial rights business in 2017. They effectively have veto power over everything. The FIA does what it does, they have veto too, but if FOM isn't happy with something, it can put a stop to it. Since FOM is represented on all the steering committees, disagreements are rare. Plus, all the teams are extremely happy with F1 because the cost cap that was implemented is giving every team deep pockets.
In F1, teams are always going to disagree when it's to their advantage. You'll always have one team wanting 50/50, another wanting 45/55, and another wanting 40/60. Today it's this issue; previously it was energy recovery on the front and rear brakes, and before that it was something else. These are relatively minor differences, which is why it's so difficult to make changes between the normal regulation-change windows.
Don't mistake this for teams or manufacturers wanting to take their ball and go home. The manufactures and teams have gone through this for decades, they know the game. When the next regulation window opens, four or five years from now, it will be much easier to make changes. Right now, any PU regulation proposed change can be blocked if the FIA, FOM, or more than one manufacturer opposes it.
