Chronicle of a death foretold

As predicted some time ago in this blog, F1's problems have failed to go away, last night resulting in most of the teams announcing that they will split from the official FIA championship to form their own series for the start of the 2010 season. Some people are suggesting that this is simply brinkmanship on the part of the teams, a show of strength in their attempt to get the FIA to back-down on new cost-control measures; other people however believe that the current situation was entirely predictable, as major underlying schisms have long been a feature of F1. Which is true? Is this actually a battle about economy measures in F1? Or something else? Is it more a case of the current feud being loaded with issues of power and control? Are the teams right to be concerned? Afterall, they deliver the core product in F1, they provide the appeal, surely they should be the dominant force in determing future strategy in the sport? Or does this detract from, and undermine, the central role that any governing body should play in sport? Are the teams simply out of touch with the economic realities of a sport that has become too much of a commercial and financial monster? Perhaps there is actually something even more fundamental at stake here? Consider this: concerns have been expressed about Alan Donnelly. Donnelly simultaneously serves as Official Representative of the President of the FIA (Max Moseley), and Chairman of the F1 Stewards. Many of the teams in F1 apparently feel that Donnelly's duel roles constitute a conflict of interest, and have allegedly asked for him to resign. Is this what F1's problems are therefore really all about? That is, is the serious impasse that F1 now faces due not to financial or economic issues, but a problem of governance? In which case, would even the FIA's capitulation on the matter of budget-capping address underlying and deep concerns about the governance of F1? Perhaps this is now the crossroads F1 has been heading towards for some time? May be the sport has to change and will change, and 2010 will be the year that we bid farewell to F1 as we have known it?