De Paddock - ook honda en Toyota naar "andere" F1 ?

Quote:

Honda and Toyota to join the GPWC?

Honda and Toyota look set to join ACEA in launching the GPWC [Grand Prix World Championship] in 2008, after Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo announced that they have been invited to attend the next meeting of the European carmakers.

Montezemolo told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport: "The matter [forming a rival F1 World Championship] is moving forwards, so much so that even Honda and Toyota will attend the next GPWC meeting."

ACEA has been threatening to form a rival F1 series since it was announced that German media group Kirch had gained a 75% stake in SLEC - the Ecclestone run company that controls the commercial rights to F1.

ACEA's members [Fiat (Ferrari), Ford (Jaguar), BMW (Williams-BMW) and DaimlerChrysler (McLaren-Mercedes)], doesn't include Honda (Jordan-Honda and BAR-Honda) and Toyota and the move to incorporate them into the GPWC would mean all the major players were signed up to the new series.

The net effect would leave only Arrows, Minardi and Prost (if the team doesn't go bankrupt) possibly in F1 - if the series could survive - beyond 2007.

According to Reuters though Honda said they weren't aware of any invitation to attend the next GPWC meeting.

Montezemolo added: "[Bernie] Ecclestone has great merits, he has grown Formula One to these levels. He has done it well and we have forgiven him for certain excesses of greed."

"It's fine with us while he is there, but if he sells, no [it is not fine]. From 2008 there will be another F1, run directly by those who produce the show, that is the big firms that make the engines and are already competing now."

Last week Fiat announced that ACEA boss Paolo Cantarella will head the GPWC.

krijgen we hier een soort cart-IRL toestand ??