I admit, I am putting words in his mouth a little. But it seems like the logical progression: Briatore is never happy with Formula One and thinks it's headed for trouble unless Renault is in front. Assuming this to be true, he' probably think the sport would die without Renault on the grid.
Currently, the sport would receive severe blows even if just one or two more teams pull out - and that's always the threat. FOM's track and TV contracts could be nulled.
HyundaiF1 is currently just a website, while USGPE is vapourware for now - and they'll be horribly uncompetitive unless they start track-testing soon. If the Red Bull drinks conglomerate stops sponsoring STR, that one's out too.
Funny that I can't recall him including Toyota and Williams in the same grouping as Brawn. He didn't even make mention of them in his comments, if I recall correctly. Yes, I know Williams and Toyota are not new teams the way Brawn are, but none of Briatore's comments suggest that FOTA should make an exception and not pay them, either. He's p!ssed that a driver he sought is actually doing well for himself - I think Flavio fancies himself as the Godfather of Formula One when it comes to the driver market - in a team that by rights would not normally be where he is (though he's completely ignoring the fact thar Brawn inherited its 2009 operations from Honda's development over the course of 2008).
^ That is where you've missed his point. He doesn't include Williams and Toyota because they're not new teams in any possible sense - so there's no excuse anywhere in the rule-book to withhold their share of FOM money. They are, however, in the same boat as Brawn - they're the ones that got the diffusers legalized.
Brawn may have inherited a ready-to-race team with an excellent car, and to most of us it's an old team (though many comfortably ignore that when saying "OMG NEW TEAM WINZ DEBUT!"), but legally considered, it's a new entry. It carries 22 and 23 on it's noses because they're a new entry (Force India should've carried 18 and 19, but since they already ordered their merchandise with 20 and 21, they got to keep that). As a legally-new entry, BrawnGP aren't entitled to a share of FOM money.
Currently, however, they're getting it - because other teams felt sorry or whatever other reasons - and Flavio's point is that they haven't been "playing fair", developing, running and legalizing a device that now costs other teams a fortune (because they thought it wasn't legal), and that therefore, the other teams shouldn't "play nice" either, and give Brawn only their legally-entitled share of FOM money: Nothing. Note that this sum is still only a tiny fraction of an F1 team's budget - on the tune of $30m.
Would you care to define how the two are different?
In one, the very principle on which the Brawn car was built was under threat. Yes, many parts on the BGP001 are clever - but they're all designed to work with the diffuser in harmony. Banning it would've meant a redesign of the entire rear end which, in their situation, just days ahead of the next race, would've been impossible. They'd miss a race or two, and then continue with underdeveloped cars - and return to Honda's usual place in the standings.
However, at the moment, it's just the question of getting $20-30m dollars more or less
at the end of the season. It's not a question of pulling out of not, especially with their newfound success, and the deal with Branson to sell sponsorship-space on their cars. The team is already completely secured for 2009 - they're still funded by Honda, mind you, and the car is competitive
and legal - so of all the under-risk-for-2010 teams, which includes Renault and STR, they're the safest bets for a company looking for 2010 title sponsorship.
