Teams' dispute with FIA close to resolution

The Williams, McLaren and Tyrrell Formula One teams are close to resolving a long-running dispute with the sports' governing body, the FIA, even though they have threatened to take court action against what they deem to be restrictive practice.

The three teams had refused to sign the Concorde Agreement, which covers the manner in which F1 is governed and marketed, after disagreeing about several issues it raised.

By refusing to sign they ceded a sizeable share of the lucrative television income to those teams which did: Ferrari, Benetton, Prost, Jordan, Sauber, Arrows and Minardi. These then refused to sanction any reconciliation that might allow the renegades back into the fold at the expense of their share, and it has taken representations by Bernie Ecclestone, the vice- president of marketing for the FIA, and president of FOCA, the teams' association, to smooth the way towards a compromise wherein Williams, McLaren and Tyrrell are allowed back in at almost the level they would have enjoyed had they signed with the rest, with parity by 1998.

Ecclestone has a vested interest in oiling the troubled waters, since he is laying plans to float Formula One Administration, the company that has a 15-year deal with the FIA on the promotion and marketing of F1, and needs to bolster the confidence of potential share- holders.

On Saturday in Brazil Ron Dennis, the managing director of McLaren, said: "If the flotation happens there will obviously be a great many details to be sorted out. It has always been my personal philosophy and that of McLaren that any court action would only be damaging to F1, and that it would always be our last alternative.

"Negotiations are at a promising stage regarding the Concorde Agreement, and we hope to have agreement within the next few months.''