BMW Motorsport director Gerhard Berger has spoken out against plans by manufacturers to form a break-away F1 series. Commenting in German magazine Sport Auto he claimed that F1 run by manufacturers would lead to bitter in-fighting and a series that pulled itself in different directions.
"We would...have a group steering the sport with every members chasing his own goals. The interests of BMW are different to those of Mercedes. If it gets rough then everyone will look after himself."
The comments came after the latest meeting of the GPWC, the manufacturers group planning to breakaway in 2008. Dismayed by the lack of forward planning for a successor to Bernie Eccelstone, the manufacturers are keen to safeguard their invest in the sport.
"We want to know how a successor is being organised. We want to make sure that the money does not disappear, leading to the situation where the manufacturers are urging for more control", said Berger after the latest round of GPWC talks.
The board of the GPWC is made up of BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Ferrari, Ford and Renault and aims to control the sport for the benefit of manufacturers and the series itself. But Berger is adamant that total manufacturer control is a dangerous ambition.
"Everyone will do his best to achieve success for his own sake. I know that all too well from touring cars...It's difficult to predict how the thing is handled when manufacturers have the power."
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