After reading Max Mosley’s most recent interview on Formula1.com I have a real craving for waffles. I have no idea why. Maybe its because when an organization like the FIA fines one team 100 million dollars for stealing intellectual property, lets another IP thief off with a warning and then declares that the next team caught will get the boot, I think, “what a bunch of wafflers!”

McLaren is a racing team that builds a few very exclusive cars. They couldn’t afford to walk away from F1, or worse, get kicked out when they were found to be in possession of Ferrari data so they accepted the fine, ate some crow and were allowed to stay and play the game. When Renault were found to be in possession of McLaren data however, they got a mild slap on the wrist. Why? Because Renault is a car manufacturer that owns a racing team. One is vulnerable, the other is not.

Max can’t wield the heavy stick with the car manufacturers because he needs them to stay in the sport - now more than ever. F1 isn’t particularly healthy at present and he can’t afford to drive competitors away or simply kick them out of the sport. Under Mosley’s cost cutting formula, its now too expensive for new replacement teams to come into the top tier of racing - just ask Dave Richards who owns Prodrive - a very successful motosports company that was suppose to be starting in F1 this year but shelved the project over costs and instability in the rules.

Publicly, Max is talking tough but in the board room, he must be navigating a political minefield. McLaren was a convenient whipping boy and their case got the message out to the other teams about cheating. To the casual observer maybe it even looks like the FIA have their house it order.

I believe the opposite is true and it would only take a similar confrontation with Ferrari to prove how weak the FIA’s position is - despite the constant hyperbole in the press. Would the FIA threaten Ferrari with expulsion for any reason, real or imagined? No! At best the public would get a whitewash, a la the Renault incident and at worst, a pathetic excuse about how none of the rest of us really understand the sport or the rules.

A new season is almost upon us and I look forward to a feast that includes fairness, and competitive spirit, not waffles or sour grapes. Now pass the syrup, Max.

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