Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has reignited the breakaway threat he led in 2009, suggesting Formula One is becoming a ‘prison’.
The Italian’s comments come as negotiations over the next Concorde Agreement, of which the current one ends in 2012, are underway behind the scenes.
The teams’ are demanding an increase in the profits they receive from CVC and Bernie Ecclestone and, in the past, have threatened to form a separate series in order to achieve their goals.
Montezemolo suggested negotiations weren’t going to plan between the two organisations, FOTA and CVC.
“We are at a crossroads,” he told the Telegraph. “We have Formula One in our hearts and minds but we don’t want to be in a Formula One prison.”
To escape the ‘prison’ he again suggested that the teams could leave in 2012 when the current agreement ends and either, stick with “the same business model”, or form a completely new series, suggesting it wouldn’t be difficult to find a new promoter.
“In the end we can always find a different promoter. At the end of the day this business is not so complicated.”
The 63-year-old also noted the rising ticket prices were a concern and something the sport needs to look at as to not alienate the fans.
“My son can go around the world with his girlfriend for less than the price of two tickets to Monza,” he added. “It’s nice to have new tracks but we need to be careful.
“We must keep the historic circuits, like Suzuka, Sao Paulo, Silverstone and Spa. It’s important to have heritage, credibility and history in Formula One.”
