Formula One news

FIA to take legal action against FOTA

Formula One governing body the FIA has annouced that it is to take instant legal action towards Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) representatives, following the latter's Friday announcement to form a breakaway series. The FIA, headed by Max Mosley, stressed that recent actions of teams - with emphasis on Ferrari - will lead to 'legal proceedings without delay'.

Following a FOTA meeting at Renault's Enstone base on Thursday evening, the group announced early on Friday from Silverstone that all eight teams involved (all current F1 entrants apart from Williams and Force India) would be forming a breakaway series for 2010 as a result of failing to find a compromise over the ongoing budget cap-related issue.

As a result of the FIA's actions, taken due to what it believs is a violation of the law by FOTA, the revealing of next season's entry list - originally scheduled to be happening on Saturday morning - will now be delayed.


The FIA's Friday statement of response is as follows:


'The FIA's lawyers have now examined the FOTA threat to begin a breakaway series. The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law. The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay.

Preparations for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship continue but publication of the final 2010 entry list will be put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights.'

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