Bernie Ecclestone has filed trademark applications for the names 'Formula Grand Prix' and 'Formula GP' - a move that pundits are interpreting as a sign that he is either willing to back a breakaway F1 championship or trying to block it.
Ecclestone is reported to have also lodged applications to protect 'GP1' and 'GP1 Series' logos through his Epsilon trading company.
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Also trademarked by Epsilon recently were logos for a junior series called GP3, meaning that if FOTA were to turn to Ecclestone for help with its breakaway, it could operate with GP1, GP2 - the existing F1 support category - and GP3.
The potential involvement not only of the eight FOTA teams but also Ecclestone and F1's commercial owner, CVC, would pile enormous pressure on FIA president Max Mosley to back down in his threat to restand for election.
However, Ecclestone said he would help to resolve the future of F1 this week. "We will have peace in Formula One," he said. "We will all agree and there will only be one series.
"I hope to have a Concorde Agreement in place by Wednesday. Max [Mosley] will be happy when we have it sorted. He will have achieved everything he set out to achieve, including a new agreement and cost-cutting. He will then be in a position to do what he said he would do and step down. But as for me, I'll be around for the future."
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