F1 On the Brink of War.(NEWS)

Byline: Nigel Roebuck

There is more turmoil in Formula One than we've seen in a long time.

Last year, the teamsafter arguing foreverrealized that they had to unify to have any worthwhile voice in F1's direction. They formed the Formula One Teams Association and exhibited unity previously unknown. FOTA put forth a variety of sensible strategies covering sporting and technical matters and emphasized the need to cut costs. FOTA president Luca di Montezemolo stressed the group's wish to work in harmony with the FIA (Max Mosley) and Formula One Management (Bernie Ecclestone).

Three months later, that seems like another era. For Mosley and Ecclestone, who have employed a divide-and-conquer strategy to rule the sport, FOTA is their worst nightmare. Though they might deny it, in recent weeks, they have devoted themselves to splintering FOTA by again pitting team against team.

First there was the diffuser fight (Competition, May 4). The FIA left the matter unresolved before the season, guaranteeing protests and appeals at the opener in Melbourne.

A bigger problem lies with FIA president Mosley's desire to introduce a budget cap for 2010. Initially, the figure was [pounds sterling]30 million ($42 million) all-inclusive, but it has now changed to [pounds sterling]40 million ($56 million), plus the cost of drivers and hospitality, after being ratified by the FIA World Motor Sport Council ...