The only comment of any kind has come from Minardi boss Paul Stoddart. It is ironic that Minardi stand to gain from Arrows' loss - everyone remembers the Prost TV money saga at the beginning of the year - in that if Arrows are found to have been trading whilst insolvent then they will lose the rights to their share of the 2002 TV revenue. Minardi, who yesterday confirmed an engine deal with Cosworth will find the extra cash very useful, and Stoddart has been quick to take the moral high ground on what would be best for the sport.

"For the sake of Formula One I hope there is no controversy over the entries to next year's championship, because if ever we needed to unite and go forward in a professional and proper way it's now," he was quoted as saying before the entry list was published. "The absolute last thing this sport needs is to have any kind of controversy or legal challenges to who may or may not be entitled to enter the 2003 championship." On the subject of challenges, several media outlets have already hinted strongly that the FIA's decision on this matter is final, although there has been no official statement to that fact.

Whilst Arrows remains quiet, speculation is raging about specifically why the FIA decided to exclude the team and reject it's entry into the 2003 Championship in the first place. The first finger points at the F1 Commission, whom the FIA may have turned to to decide Arrows' fate. The commission is made up of the team heads, the race promoters, race sponsors, engine manufacturers, tyre suppliers etc, with each having a number of votes to cast their influence. Based on reaction around the paddock this year over Arrows' struggles it was felt that the race promoters would vote in favour of the team, as would the suppliers who stood to gain from the new money being injected into the team. On this basis, the votes would have gone in favour of Arrows and their entrance application approved.

On the basis that the FIA made the decision themselves, then there are two rules that the FIA could have referred to and given them reasonably good grounds to take the action that they did. The first, rule 43 section f, states "Applications shall include: f) an undertaking by the applicant to participate in every event with the number of cars and drivers entered." During the latter half of 2002, Arrows failed to compete in six of the last seven races - that's one rule broken, but would it be enough to reject an application?

The second is a lot more far reaching, and (if this site may say so) slight muddy. Rule 48 states "If, in the opinion of the Formula One Commission, a competitor fails to operate his team in a manner compatible with the standards of the Championship or in any way brings the Championship into disrepute, the FIA may exclude such competitor from the Championship forthwith." Now this points directly at the F1 Commission and not the FIA. If this route has been taken, then it demonstrates a sharp turn-around in paddock opinion about the events surrounding Arrows and their fight to stay alive.

The real reasons will come out as the 2003 season builds up, but for now it appears that the Arrows cars will not be running next year - in anger at least. The only possible route now is that the team is rebuilt, under new ownership, and relaunched for 2004. The real future of the Arrows team will become clearer after the ninth of December, when the Morgan Grenfell court case is heard to decide whether the investment company has any guarantees of financial return.

As ever, AllAboutArrows will be keeping it's fingers crossed.

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