Turkey boycott rumors 'a joke'

Stefano Domenicali

Ferrari

(GMM) Just before the pitlane opened on Sunday afternoon, wild rumors swept the Istanbul paddock suggesting that the eight FOTA teams were preparing to boycott the Turkish grand prix.

With five days still to go before the FIA's entry list publication on June 12, the action's timing would have been odd, but pre-race fears were nonetheless real that non-members Williams and Force India would be the only cars contesting victory.

Ultimately, the boycott did not happen, but the question remains; from whence did the rumor spring?

The speculation began doing the rounds following the drivers' meeting with FOTA officials in the Toyota motor home, attended also by BMW's Mario Theissen.

The German was asked on Sunday afternoon if the boycott threat was real, and he answered: "I don't think so."

After the race, the podium ceremony condemned the story to the pages of history, but the question marks about the rumors remained. "I believe it was a joke, but I don't know where it came from," Ferrari boss Stefano Domenicali told Germany's motorsport-magazin.com.

The Italian said the threat was "not discussed" in the Sunday FOTA meeting.

Meanwhile, it is believed that FOTA has left open the possibility of a meeting this week, before the entry list publication date, with FIA president Max Mosley.