Motorsport: McLaren threaten to quit over money

LONDON - Former world champions McLaren say they could walk away from Formula One in 2008 if the sport is not run in a fair and transparent fashion.

Team boss Ron Dennis told reporters last week that his Mercedes-backed company was aiming to wean itself off financial dependence on Formula One so that it could have a choice of future action.

"I hope or wish that this company can be in a position to have the choice not to participate in grand prix racing in 2008," he said.

"If we can sustain the company's economic profile, we will not participate in grand prix racing unless there is a level playing field," he said.

"We will comply with the contract to 2007 but one of our common objectives is to put the company in that position of having choice. "

Formula One's commercial "Concorde Agreement" expires at the end of 2007 and the sport is split between two camps in a struggle for its future.

While champions Ferrari have sided with commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the governing International Automobile Federation, the sport's other five major carmakers are continuing with plans for a rival series.

The nine teams, other than Ferrari, are weighing up their options after the manufacturers said this week that they wanted a championship open to all on equal terms, with the bulk of the revenues distributed among them. The existing set-up pays Ferrari a premium.

McLaren are part-owned by Mercedes, one of the founder members of the GPWC group of carmakers, and have plans for a new road-going supercar.

"If the status quo exists for Formula One cars, then we will not participate in it in 2008 if we can put ourselves in that economic position, and that is exactly what we are trying to do," Dennis said.

"Maybe we would be in other types of motor racing in other parts of the world. It's part of our heritage. "We think that transparency is critical. ... that impartiality is critical."

Dennis said he had no quarrel with Ferrari having an extra financial recognition for their contribution to the championship.

"Ferrari are a magnificent grand prix team, steeped in tradition and they would most definitely be missed if they were not part of whatever the future holds for grand prix racing," he said. "But they should not be put into a position which provides them with the ability to control change or receive disproportionate amounts of income compared to the other teams."

McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh said it was not clear what Ferrari had agreed to after 2008, however, and doubted there would ever be two championships.

"What McLaren is looking for in 2008, whatever it's called and whether it is an FIA world championship or a grand prix world championship, is that we want those governing principles to apply," he said.

"We want fairness, we want openness, proper governance and we want it to be the pinnacle of motorsport. "

- REUTERS