Grand Prix World Championship
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The Grand Prix World Championship, often abbreviated to GPWC, is a general term used to describe any proposed alternative world championship auto racing series to rival Formula One.[citation needed]
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[edit] 1997-2005
The Grand Prix World Championship (GPWC), was a proposed alternative world championship to rival Formula One. GPWC has been superseded by the Grand Prix Manufacturers’ Association.
GPWC Holdings consisted of (and GPMA originally consisted of) Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Renault, Honda and Toyota, six of F1's biggest players. The GPWC was created as a tool to assist the companies in bargaining with Bernie Ecclestone for an agreeable extension to the 1997 Concorde Agreement, the contract by whose terms the teams compete in F1.
Though the GPWC created definite plans to start a rival series in 2004, the FIA responded by openly trying to entice the breakaway teams with a one off 40 million dollar (US) incentive for their agreements, however the GPWC future was cast into doubt in mid-January 2005 when Ferrari, FIAT's F1 team, announced it had secretly come to terms with Ecclestone and signed an extension to the Concorde Agreement for a one off payment amounting to 100 million dollars (US). Ecclestone expressed his expectation that the remaining teams would shortly follow suit despite the initial 40 million dollar (US) offer being retracted. However, at around the same time Honda and Toyota showed interest in working together with GPWC.
[edit] Proposed 2010 Breakaway Series
[edit] Dicussions in 2009
Following the FIA's announcement of unilateral rule changes for the 2010 season including voluntary budget limits, the FOTA teams had threatened to pull out of Formula One. On 18 June 2009, FOTA confirmed that they were to form a breakaway series starting in 2010.[1] The teams were quoted saying "We've no alternative than to commence preparation for a new championship," following their four-hour long meeting. The FIA responded to the teams' move in a statement, saying: "We are disappointed but not surprised by FOTA's inability to reach a compromise in the best interests of the sport."[2]
On 23 June 2009, FOTA took the threat further by leaking a provisional calendar for a breakaway series in order to counter claims by the FIA that the teams lacked the sufficient funding to organize their own tournament. The schedule included 17 races made up of some circuits that were currently hosting a Grand Prix in the 2009 Season (such as Singapore), some circuits that had not held a Grand Prix in recent years (such as Jerez), and some that have never held a F1 Grand Prix. Some circuits were ones that have been controversially removed from F1 calendars by the FIA, including Montreal having been removed from the 2009 Season.[3] However, on 24 June 2009, FOTA reached an agreement with the FIA to continue with F1. However, on 8 July, the FOTA group of teams were informed that they were not yet officially entered for the 2010 season. On August 1, it was announced that the FIA had signed the new Concorde Agreement, bringing an end to the crisis and securing the sport's future until 2012.[citation needed]
[edit] Proposed calendar for 2010
The calendar that was proposed to replace the 2010 Formula One season (which would never materialize) was as follows:
[edit] References
- ^ "FOTA teams to form breakaway series". Planetf1.com. http://www.planetf1.com/story/0,18954,3213_5388223,00.html. Retrieved 2010-10-04.[dead link]
- ^ "F1 teams drop breakaway bombshell". BBC News. 2009-06-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/motorsport/formula_one/8108488.stm. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
- ^ F1 breakaway schedule leaked[dead link]
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