Eric Thompson: America's Cup on wheels

Opinion

It's always the way. Those duly elected by the public on the back of promises to fix things eventually end up self-appointed gods fostering their own agendas, and in doing so, pay no heed to those who put them there in the first place.

Formula One is no different, and because of one man's inability to admit he may have got it wrong, the blue riband of motorsport has imploded. Because of FIA president Max Mosley's despot-like demand that his rule changes must go through, eight of the leading F1 teams have told him to stick his championship and they're off to play in their own sandpit with their own balls.

Nice one, Max. Just as the sport was getting interesting again, with any one of four or five teams able to win a race, you decide you know best and the people who actually make the sport happen don't know what they're doing.

God save us from bureaucrats. All Mosley had to do to avoid the split next year was to engage with the people who actually do the racing. Now that Formula One Teams Association has announced Mosley can stick his championship, the FIA has responded by stating it'll take legal action.

Great, the America's Cup on wheels.

Just before he took over in 1993, Mosley said: "What is wrong at the moment is that the climate is such that, particularly in the World Council, discussion is not encouraged. Dissent is not encouraged and the collective wisdom of the people there is not used."

Just before taking the reins of F1 he said in the same vein: "I think the reason that we will succeed with a massive majority has nothing to do with my qualities - be they good, bad or indifferent - because I think people perceive that the existing regime is beginning to be a disaster for motorsport."

Funny how your own advice is the hardest to take heed of. Three-time F1 champion Jackie Stewart summed it up when he said before the start of the weekend's British Grand Prix: "It's a bad thing to have a split, but I think that has been forced upon the teams, particularly the large multinational corporations involved in it [F1].

"When you're talking about Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Ferrari and Renault, these are big companies that feel they are being pushed around by the governing body in a way that is inappropriate.

"I think they do want Max to go because I think frankly some of the decisions made over the years have been very questionable, and a lot of people are kind of fed up with the dictatorial attitude.

"The trouble is Max has gone too far with this and the teams have suddenly said 'I'm sorry, we can't take it any more'. But empires do come to an end, as Julius Caesar found out."

Mosley has been heard to say the breakaway teams and FIA are close to a resolution. He must be hearing voices, as FOTA insists no such thing is on the cards and the time for talking is over.