Shares of F1 for Ferrari and Red Bull?

The Ferrari and Red Bull teams have recently left the FOTA, which allows them to negotiate individually with the FOM the future Concorde Agreements that need to be renewed this season, as the current contract expires at the end of 2012.

The new Agreements are supposed to cover the period 2013-2020, and the teams are seeking a greater share of Formula 1’s revenues. However, with the recent disbandment of FOTA, some teams have decided to negotiate individually with FOM.

In particular, we find Ferrari and Red Bull, two of the most important teams in F1 that Bernie Ecclestone likely wants to keep for as long as possible. An article from Sky Sports—since deleted—reported a possible agreement between FOM and these two teams to allow them to acquire shares in Formula 1 and place a representative on the board of Delta Topco, the company that owns F1.

None of the three parties wished to confirm the published information; Stefano Domenicali and Christian Horner merely stated that negotiations with the FOM were on track.

«I think all I can say is that we are in discussions, and negotiations are heading in the right direction. But there’s nothing more at the moment,» stated Stefano Domenicali, quoted by Autosport. He also specified that no contract had been signed at this time.

“We are in discussions about the future Concorde Agreements. We want to have Concorde Agreements that focus on the future and we are in discussions with the FOM at the moment. Negotiations are progressing well, so we will see,” said Horner, quoted by Autosport.

The Concorde Agreements are an important contract for F1 officials as well as for the teams, and Ferrari, as the oldest team in F1, has apparently always received preferential treatment compared to its rivals. As for Red Bull, its recent emergence seems to grant it a special status.