The devil is in the details
You know, back when Bernie Ecclestone was still in the business of giving the Labour Party large sums of money, I wonder if he was giving them advice on spin as well? They could certainly learn from him and his way of making a silk purse out of a sow's ear, especially given today's news.
All the headlines today are saying that Formula 1 teams have agreed to Ecclestone and Mosley's proposed changes to the Concorde Agreement (the rules that run F1) and that these changes could now occur in 2006 rather than 2008. Yet, when we look at what's actually been agreed, it seems that the teams haven't actually agreed to much beyond a single tire supplier and coming back later to talk about a potentially reduced engine specification. Oh, and Ecclestone giving them what they really wanted (and the basis behind the formation of the GPWC potential breakaway group) - a larger share of the money.
So, Bernie's given up large amounts of cashflow, in exchange for not much more than progressing on a little from what diplomats like to call 'talks about talks'. They can present a single tyre supplier as being a major breakthrough, but it isn't really, given that in recent F1 history there's never been more than two suppliers in any season and at least two seasons I remember when there was just one - it was all Bridgestone a couple of years ago between Goodyear's withdrawal and Michelin's entry, and all Goodyear not long before that after Pirelli pulled out and before Bridgestone came in. There's lots of agreement that something must be done, but no actual agreement on what this something will be. But, this'll get presented as big triumph for Ecclestone and Mosley, when it's anything but.
Maybe that's what Alistair Campbell's doing with his spare time nowadays?
All the headlines today are saying that Formula 1 teams have agreed to Ecclestone and Mosley's proposed changes to the Concorde Agreement (the rules that run F1) and that these changes could now occur in 2006 rather than 2008. Yet, when we look at what's actually been agreed, it seems that the teams haven't actually agreed to much beyond a single tire supplier and coming back later to talk about a potentially reduced engine specification. Oh, and Ecclestone giving them what they really wanted (and the basis behind the formation of the GPWC potential breakaway group) - a larger share of the money.
So, Bernie's given up large amounts of cashflow, in exchange for not much more than progressing on a little from what diplomats like to call 'talks about talks'. They can present a single tyre supplier as being a major breakthrough, but it isn't really, given that in recent F1 history there's never been more than two suppliers in any season and at least two seasons I remember when there was just one - it was all Bridgestone a couple of years ago between Goodyear's withdrawal and Michelin's entry, and all Goodyear not long before that after Pirelli pulled out and before Bridgestone came in. There's lots of agreement that something must be done, but no actual agreement on what this something will be. But, this'll get presented as big triumph for Ecclestone and Mosley, when it's anything but.
Maybe that's what Alistair Campbell's doing with his spare time nowadays?
Nick got away with this at 12:57 AM
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