The first F1 squabble of the year progresses apace. Having failed to reach agreement over customer cars in 2007 at their recent meeting, the team principals are getting ready for war. Since legal mobilization takes time, it is most likely that scrutineering for the Australian GP on March 18th will be the crunch point. Pity those poor scrutineers!

Good old Bernie Ecclestone was there to suggest a few compromises, all of which were rejected, but at least he tried. But where was Mighty Max? Surely he would have been able to devise a way forward, given his new ability to work in harmony with the manufacturers. But I forget – that is only true when the other side has the power to really mess with him; little players like drivers and independent constructors are beneath notice.

In fact, there does seem to be a widening rift between the two most powerful men in F1, in style at least. While Bernie runs around trying to settle arguments, Max remains adamant that everyone must bow to the whim of the FIA. And given Bernie’s recent criticism of the FIA, it is clear that he is not entirely happy with the way things are run.

The fact remains that, if Max had been there to give a clear ruling from the FIA on the legality or otherwise of Super Aguri’s and Toro Rosso’s plans for the coming season, the threatened litigation could have been avoided. Had SA and STR been told that the FIA will definitely not allow any customer cars to slip through loopholes this year, both teams might have backed down; and, if the FIA’s view is that the cars are legal, Spyker and the rest would know that any protest will be futile.

As it is, we are faced with the prospect of yet another F1 court case and a GP with results pending until a verdict is given. Everyone knows how bad this is for the image of the sport but nobody seems to have a way of stopping it.

A flurry of news and views from Renault has revealed that they intend to win the championships again in 2007. Fisichella has been assuring fans that he will be champion and Flavio Briatore has stated that Fizzy has the ability to do it. “If he doesn’t step on it this year, we’ll make him do it,” said Flavio.

Which sounds like an ultimatum to me, especially as Renault Technical Director, Bob Bell, agrees that it is a make-or-break year for Fisichella. Nelson Piquet Jnr waits hungrily in the wings to see whether he breaks.

Perhaps more interesting than all this optimism (par for the course before the season opener), are Briatore’s conclusions after the recent tests on Bridgestone tires. He says he understands now why Ferrari instigated the ban on mass dampers halfway through the 2006 season; the dampers just don’t work with Bridgestone tires.

It amazes me that Ferrari’s influence on the FIA seems to be accepted now; other teams raise no eyebrows at Flavio’s sometimes pointed remarks, almost as if it were common knowledge that the rules are made with Ferrari’s benefit in mind. Of course, we all know they are, but it shows a certain defeatism that no-one even bothers to protest anymore.

I love the FIA’s response to any such protests: Formula One’s governing body has dismissed suggestions that world champions Renault have been penalised in recent races to favour Ferrari and Michael Schumacher*. No discussion, you will note; just dismissal. If they were to discuss the matter, Bernie Ecclestone’s open admission that “Ferrari is the only team to get political support from the FIA” might be mentioned. And that could be embarrassing.

Although this comfortable relationship between the FIA and Ferrari has existed for decades, it could be about to change. Now that the governing body has decided to cast its lot with the manufacturers, it may find itself with many more customers to please than just FIAT/Ferrari. All is sweetness and light at the moment but I wonder what will happen when some of the manufacturers see the future differently from others. It’s a difficult business, keeping an alliance of competitors together.

*Autosport magazine.

I love street circuits, even though we will probably never see them again in F1, apart from Monaco. They are impractical, dangerous and lack passing places, a sure combination to prevent their ever being tried again by the sport. But they are also atmospheric, dramatic, somehow produce good races, and enable the spectators to get closer to the sound and sight and smell of F1 cars than anywhere else.

Just the sound should be enough to convert anyone: experience this video of a Red Bull doing a demonstration run on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil – then tell me that the scream of that engine echoing off the buildings does not stir your blood. And the roads were drenched with rain – the driver was holding back!

My favorite of those street circuits that have gone is Long Beach. The sight of the cars streaming down to the hairpin after the start was one never to be forgotten. And there were always dramatic races at Long Beach; it was the one circuit where you could guarantee that uncompetitive cars suddenly came to the fore, where there were tussles between unlikely competitors and drivers in underpowered cars had a chance to make their mark.

Actually, that last statement is true of most street circuits. It was Detroit where John Watson earned his reputation as the only driver who could overtake on street circuits. And Detroit was a place where nobody could pass! Unfortunately, I could not find a decent picture of the circuit so you will just have to take my word for it that the photo of Senna up there was taken at Detroit.

Even the strange aberration of the circuit in a car park in Las Vegas gave us some great races. It was artificial and a poor excuse for a street circuit but it did let us get close to the action.

Notice that all these places are in the States. It was the only country that Bernie Ecclestone was so desperate to get into that he would accept such circuits. Now that seems to have changed (the money has moved elsewhere) and Bernie asserts boldly that F1 doesn’t really need a race in the USA at all.

So our chances of new street circuits coming along are non-existent. We must content ourselves with the annual and glorious experience that is Monaco – and fight tooth and nail to prevent it ever being taken off the calendar. It may be dangerous, cramped, outdated and whatever else its critics throw at it; but it is also the last reminder of a time when the public could experience F1 close up and the drivers had never heard of such a thing as safety.

It’s that man Senna in the lead again – but there’s something else interesting about this photo. Starting from the front, we have a McLaren, a Tyrrell (!), two Williams, a Benetton, a McLaren and two Ferraris. Then come a Jordan and another Benetton, but what are those two red cars behind them? They sure look like two more Ferraris to me.

Just to round it off, there are a Tyrrell, a March and a Minardi after that. But those red cars have me wondering. I suppose I could dig in the records and find out but I thought it might be more interesting to see if anyone has a better memory than I do – can you help me out?

Bernie Ecclestone has been interviewed by The Times newspaper regarding his opinion on how things will go in F1 next year. There are no great surprises, but “Mr. Formula One” has a few words to say to Jenson Button, my tip for the title. To be champion, Button needs to display the drive and commitment so evident in Michael Schumacher, says Bernie.

“Michael has given up so much to achieve what he has achieved,” Ecclestone said. “He is dedicated to what he is and puts himself under an awful lot of pressure. He’ll win a race and next day start testing. I’m not sure whether Jenson is prepared to do that.

“I would say that Jenson is much like the old-time drivers. The Graham Hill type of driver with all the talent that they need, except nowadays you’ve got to be dedicated, too.

“The biggest thing that can help Honda is Jenson,” he said. “He needs to get stuck into it and stuck into them, making sure they deliver him the equipment to make him a consistent winner.”

Nothing much to argue with there, although I sometimes wonder if Michael is really so much more dedicated than the other drivers. Everyone knows the level of commitment and fitness required these days and I suspect that most of the drivers work just as hard as does Michael. They would be fools to do otherwise and none of them strike me as lacking in intelligence.

There is no doubt that Michael does have something special, however; you don’t win seven world titles without that. If I were asked to name the difference, I would have to say just two words: Flavio Briatore.

It was Briatore who saw Michael’s potential and gave him everything he needed to fulfill it, including the adoration and obedience of the Benetton team. By the time the German went to Ferrari, he knew exactly what was required to win consistently. He supplied the talent, determination and fitness to succeed as an individual but he also insisted on the same level of commitment from his team. In effect, he created a new Ferrari team by bringing in the personnel he needed and concentrating their minds on the task ahead.

But it was Briatore who gave Michael the understanding of what it takes to win: the undivided support of the team. And one suspects that Bernie is right in doubting that Jenson has the monomania necessary to achieve that – he seems too nice a guy. At the moment the Honda team are betting on both horses, giving Button and Barrichello equal attention without preference. I wonder whether this can be the right approach for a team on the edge of success but not quite there yet.

So it comes down to the old argument between having two star drivers or a clear number one and number two. Looking at Michael’s success, we would have to say that the second system is more effective. Pour your energies into the faster driver and keep the second man as back-up if needed, that is the way to go. Equality brings competition between team members and can result in the loss of a championship, as Williams discovered when both Alan Jones and Carlos Reutemann were their drivers in 1981, splitting the points and losing out ultimately to Nelson Piquet (who was a definite number 1 in the Brabham team).

Can Button persuade Honda to favor him over Barrichello? Perhaps if Button has a very special race in Brazil this weekend, he might achieve it. But Rubens isn’t going to like that one bit…