Talking goes on in bid to end Formula One feud

At the end of a marathon seven hours of discussions, initially among the team principals and then with Mosley, the deadlock has yet to be broken.

Mosley at least offered a positive outlook by conceding he is ‘‘always hopeful and confident there will be an agreement’’, and the likelihood is it will be at some stage this weekend.

‘‘It was a constructive meeting, we spent three hours, and there are ongoing discussions,’’ said Mosley as he emerged from the Automobile Club de Monaco that sits on the start/finish straight.

The suggestion is a ’glidepath’ budget cap could be introduced to arrive at the £40m figure by 2012, rather than with immediate effect for next season.

That would appease all the teams as Ferrari president and FOTA chairman Luca di Montzemolo conceded earlier in the day that ‘‘common ground’’ had been reached between the ten marques.

That statement followed a two-and-a-half hour FOTA meeting aboard Renault team principal Flavio Briatore’s multi-million pound yacht, Force Blue, moored in the Monte-Carlo harbour.

Di Montezemolo suggested in the wake of that discussion, the second of the day for FOTA after an earlier breakfast get-together, they were heading into their showdown with Mosley with a final proposal.

Seeming to represent the last hope of a compromise between FOTA and motor sport’s world governing body, the very future of F1 was on the line.

Mobbed by television crews and photographers after stepping off the boat, Di Montezemolo said: ‘‘As always it was a very constructive, very useful meeting between the teams, with a very good atmosphere.

‘‘FOTA is now an organisation with a common view. We are all together and in position to go to the chairman of FIA (Mosley) saying in a very constructive, but very clear way, the position of FOTA – that we will not enter the championship with these rules and with this governance.

‘‘We have to discuss the possibility to change the situation in a constructive and clear way because we want Formula One, we don’t want something different.’’ When more pertinently asked if it was a final proposition they were putting to Mosley, he starkly replied: ‘‘Yes.’’ It was a bullish statement from Di Montezemolo, who barely made it to an awaiting moped to be taken to meet with Mosley because of the media throng.

When he emerged from that, with all the team principals remaining tight-lipped as they allowed Di Montezemolo to do the talking, he said: ‘‘It was a long and constructive meeting.

‘‘FOTA will have another meeting tomorrow, and then there will be another meeting with Mosley.

‘‘What we want is that Formula One stays as Formula One, and that it doesn’t become something different and go towards constant changes which confuse the public and all the others.

‘‘What we want is stability and that we work over the next two years to arrive at a way of further reducing costs.’’ The latter comment makes clear Ferrari’s determined position, that time is the best way to ease into Mosley’s previously hardball budget cap stance.

Certainly, if Di Montezemolo’s assertion is correct that all ten teams are now behind Ferrari, if no resolution is found then it could be a case of one out, all out.

It is clear Mosley’s governance of F1 also remains a thorny issue, in particular the unilateral way he forced through the new rules without consulting the teams.

As Di Montezemolo added: ‘‘We have this governance.

‘‘So we have to discuss the possibility of changing the situation in a constructive, but in a very clear way, because we want Formula One.

“We don’t want something else.’’ Nick Fry was the only team member to offer an opinion on the day’s events, Brawn GP’s CEO indicating the prospect of a resolution at some stage this weekend.

‘‘It’s all good progress and we go to the next level of discussion,’’ said Fry.

‘‘Proposals were made on both sides and common ground was found, so I’m sure there will be more discussion, and I think we’ll be done this weekend.’’