Quotes of the Week

"First of all I'm very pleased (about) the (FIA) agreement. I was not surprised because I understand the spectators are pissed off with all these polemics. We need stability. We need peace. Now stop with all the polemics, because we love F1. We don't want to contribute to taking away the big charm and the unique elements of F1." Luca di Montezemolo, Ferrari President and Chairman of FOTA

"I have given 35 years of my life and more to Formula One. My marriage broke up because of Formula One. So I am sure as hell not going to let things disintegrate over what is, in the end, basically nothing. If that (breakaway series) started, everybody would be suing everybody else and there would be no other series. There would be nothing. Everyone would spend a fortune on lawyers and nothing will happen." Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of Formula One Management and Formula One Association

"Okay just to add to what has already been said, I think in the years I’ve been involved in Formula 1 I haven’t witnessed before the co-operation between the teams. There have been occasions in the history of Formula 1 when perhaps we haven’t spent enough time on the governance of our sport. We haven’t spent enough time co-operating to improve and build our sport and I see in the last few months, fantastic efforts through challenging times by all of the teams represented here and I think that is a very positive way in which we can go forward within our sport. We have concentrated, as Flavio said, on too many negative issues in the last few months. I think there is a clear commitment from all of the teams here to work now on the show and the entertainment, on making sure we reflect the wishes of the fans who support us now – I think we can make the sport better. And I hope that we yesterday reached a historic point for Formula 1, enabling perhaps to look outwards rather than continually looking in at the inner workings of our sport. It is an exciting moment for our sport and one that can only build it to be bigger and better." Martin Whitmarsh, Team Principal, McLaren

"They will be able to create their championship, but will have to pay some significant sums. It is rather easy to find circuits and the TV broadcasters won't be much of a problem either. What will be difficult is: what will the rules be and how are the teams going to enforce them? The role of the president is to govern, and Mosley divides in order to reign better. He likes it if there is perpetual conflict. The manufacturers are not always reasonable, but it is them who provide the spectacle." Alain Prost, 4 times Formula 1 World Drivers Champion, denied the claims of formula one powerbrokers that the eight FOTA teams will struggle to establish a rival 'breakaway' championship.

"They made the mistake of dancing on my grave before I was buried. It's no good the teams getting a PR agency to claim I am dead and buried when I am standing here as large as life. I am under pressure now from all over the world to stand for re-election. I don't actually want to. I feel I am a little bit too old. When I started I was old enough to be the father of the younger Formula One drivers; now I am old enough to be the grandfather of some of those driving today. Although I don't feel old, I must seem very old to them. It definitely needs somebody new from that point of view. Generally, when you have done something for 16 years, as I have done, it's about time to stop. You get a little bit stale. I do genuinely want to stop. But if there is going to be a big conflict with the car industry, for example, with the FOTA teams, then I won't stop. I will do whatever I have to do. It's not in my nature to walk away from a fight. By going home to Italy and telling the Italian media that they had toppled the dictator, di Montezemolo has tried to make it sound like I sit here and just decide what's going to happen. It's absolutely not true. I can't do anything unless the WMSC agree and there are 26 members, mostly presidents of important motor sport clubs from all over the world. All these rules that I am supposed to have dictated have been voted on by those people. To say that I run a dictatorship is nonsense. I don't really expect Luca will apologize or withdraw in the way that he should. Yet, on the other hand, within the motor sport world nobody takes him seriously. He's seen as what the Italians call a 'bella figura' (style over substance). He's chairman of Fiat but the serious individual who runs it is Sergio Marchionne, and I don't suppose he takes much notice of Luca. He started life selling cars and one of his sayings is, 'Once you've sold the car, stop talking'. What Luca did was worse; not only did he not stop talking, but he talked stupidly." Max Mosley, FIA President

"This is a very emotional moment and for sure I will remember this 100th victory for the rest of my life. When I reached 70, 100 seemed a long way away but here I am and it has been great, great fun getting here. It is down to so many people, like Jeremy and my guys who have been with me for ten years and all of the team who always give 100% and always give me the best bike possible. Especially however I have to thank the friends who have been with me my whole life and my father Graziano, who won here in Assen 30 years ago when I was a baby, and my mother Stefania, because they have always supported me. It's great to reach this moment here at Assen because it's the 'Cathedral' of motorcycle racing and the most historic track we go to. Now I have 100 wins and I'm only the second rider to arrive at this number, but Agostini still has 22 more and for me he is still the greatest. 100 is a great result but the atmosphere in our team is wonderful and the motivation is still as high as ever – we want to win a few more races together yet!" Valentino Rossi, 8 times World Champion, MotoGP, exuberant after winning his 100th Grand Prix win at Assen

"We couldn't pass. We were a second slower when we were in traffic. I have to apologize to the fans because that was an awful, awful race. There's nothing the drivers can do about it. We're trying as hard as we can. It was a terrible race. " Dario Franchitti, IndyCar driver, Target Chip Ganassi Racing, commenting after finishing second in the incredibly boring IndyCar race at the Richmond International Speedway