McLaren boss says breakaway will quash F1 while Mosley appears unconcerned

One way or another, it appears that the core teams of what has been Formula 1 for the past 50 years will be racing against each other next year. McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh thinks the recognition will follow the teams, while FIA president Max Mosley thinks the team will be forced to return when they fail to setup their own series.

The two contradictory viewpoints arise out of the same set of facts: a dispute over the state of the proposed 2010 funding and technical regulations, and the way in which they were proposed and approved. The ongoing struggle at the heart of the matter has even gone to court.

The FIA president predicts an eventual compromise, but acknowledged that it may not be found until early in 2010.

"They (FOTA) can't afford not to run in the championship and we would be very reluctant to have a championship without them," Mosley told the BBC.

The 69-year-old suspects some of the manufacturer-backed teams can afford to take such a hard line because "some of them will disappear" whether there is a solution or not.

"I think we'll probably lose one or two, maybe even three manufacturer teams," said Mosley. "As for the great traditional teams, and I would include Ferrari, they need to be there and they will be there. It will get sorted out," he added.

He believes some figures are hoping to gain control of the governance and income of the sport but that ultimately the plans for an alternate series are not serious.

"Eventually they will recognize that it can't happen and it will all come back together," said Mosley.

"Everybody can take a tremendously strong position; I could say that I'm going to win some great sporting event in 2010, but until you actually get there, you can boast all you like.

Whitmarsh on the other hand is certain that the FOTA-backed startup championship is the one that will ultimately shine through.

"I don't think there will be two premier racing championships," he told the BBC.

"All I can say is that there will be a championship next year and that the major names that have historically been involved in motor racing will be racing together and I think that will be recognized as the major championship."