F1 Budget Cap Latest - FOTA Teams Sign Up For 2010

As reported previously in this blog, Williams F1 have already signed up for the 2010 F1 Championship.

Now the remaing nine FOTA teams have submitted their entries for 2010, despite their previous threats to boycott Formula 1 if the proposed FIA budget cap was pushed through.

FOTA issued a statement on Friday afternoon (29th May) stating that all its members would commit to F1 through to 2012 – provided they receive guarantees about the sport’s future governance, and that the FIA accepts FOTA's modifications to the controversial budget cap proposal.

The announcement could signal a breakthrough in the long-running dispute between FOTA and the FIA.

FOTA have insisted that a new Concorde Agreement be signed by all parties by June 12th. This is the date when the FIA has indicated it will publish the list of confirmed participants in the 2010 season.

FOTA is seeking a formal contract to give greater stability over the rule-making process, having been unhappy with the way recent rule changes were pushed through the FIA World Council, bypassing teams and other stakeholders represented on the F1 Commission.

In return for such guarantees, FOTA members will pledge their allegiance to F1 for the next three years.

FOTA’s other major proviso concerns the technical regulations to be adopted for 2010, which it says must be based on this year's rules subject to the amendments it has proposed in a submission to the FIA.

These amendments are believed to include a phased introduction of the budget cap and measures to ensure prospective new teams can compete in the higher-spending initial year.

The FOTA statement said: “All FOTA teams have today submitted conditional entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship. FOTA confirms all its members’ long-term commitment to be involved in the FIA Formula One World Championship and has unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the championship in the next three years, creating a mechanism that will preserve the technological competition and the sporting challenge and, at the same time, facilitate the entry in the F1 championship for new teams. These measures are in line with what has been already decided in 2009 within FOTA, achieving important saving on engines and gearboxes".

“All FOTA teams have entered the 2010 championship on the basis that: 1) The Concorde Agreement is signed by all parties before 12th June 2009, after which all FOTA teams will commit to competing in Formula One until 2012. 2) The basis of the 2010 regulations will be the current 2009 regulations, amended in accordance with proposals that FOTA has submitted to the FIA.”

“All FOTA teams’ entries for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship have been submitted today on the understanding that (a) all FOTA teams will be permitted to compete during the 2010 Formula One season on an identical regulatory basis, and (b) that they may only be accepted as a whole".

All ten of the current teams on the F1 grid have now declared their intention to compete in next year's championship which will be expanded to thirteen teams (26 cars).

We understand that applications have been received from Prodrive (run by former BAR boss, Dave Richards), Campos Racing of Spain, the much vaunted Team US F1, Lola and Litespeed who currently run in F3 but have just teamed up with Mike Gascoigne for their F1 program.

It has been reported in the British press that Ecclestone has initimated that in view of the fact the 2010 grid is now oversubscribed some existing F1 teams may be replaced by new entrants to the sport.

All will be revealed on 12th June.

F1 Budget Cap Latest - Williams Confirm 2010 Entry

FOTA, (The Formula 1 Teams Association) has upped the ante in their dispute with the FIA by again calling for the proposed 2010 £40m budget cap to be revoked as a pre-condition of their continuing to participate in the Championship.

Following several meetings at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, FIA president Max Mosley indicated that agreement on a budget cap was close, although he did admit that it may not come into effect until 2011.

The view of FOTA is that they are best placed to decide on and implement any necessary cost cutting exercises rather than having them forced upon them by the FIA.

The deadline for entries to the 2010 season is on Friday (29th May). Whilst all the teams are keen to maintain a united front in talks with Mosley, Williams F1 lodged their application for 2010 on Monday (25th May).
Williams stressed that it felt duty-bound to honour undertakings it had given to compete in F1 through to the end of 2010 but had no intention of leaving FOTA.

Mosley has initmated that the FIA may be willing to compromise over the implementation of the budget cap by treating 2010 as a transitional year with changes gradually fased in before coming into full effect in 2011.

It remains to be seen whether an agreement will be reached before the Friday deadline.

Formula 1 Budget Cap Row Rumbles On (and on)

There has still be no resolution to the Formula 1 budget cap row despite further talks in Monaco today (Friday) between the teams, Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley of the FIA.

Earlier in the week an injunction from Ferrari to stop the planned budget cap was kicked out of court.

Ferrari are being even more up the own arse than usual this week making some very scathing comments about the "quality"of the new teams vying to join the F1 Championship next year. (These teams include prestigious and highly experienced companies such as Lola).

According to Ferrari it will be more like GP3 next year than F1.

Perhaps it has escaped their attention that they are being soundly whipped this year by a two bob team by the name of Brawn GP?

Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't McLaren, Williams and umpteen other teams start from scratch with limited budgets before growing to where they are now?

In the latest twist Ferrari are threatening legal action as they say they were given a right of veto over technical changes in 2005. Ecclestone is hinting at a possible counter claim against Ferrari for breach of contract should they quit the sport before 2012.

Further talks are planned for Saturday......

End to a busy month - Jenson wins in Bahrain / BTCC action at Thruxton

April came to a close with plenty of action both on and off track.

Jenson Button picked up his third win of the season at last weekend's Bahrain GP joined on the podium by German wunderkind Sebastian Vettel and Toyota's Jarno Trulli.

Lewis Hamilton in the much improved McLaren came in fourth - his season's best to date.

Meanwhile in the latest BTCC rounds at Thruxton, James Thompson made a welcome return to the series action with Team Dynamics sporting another of his decidedly dodgy hair dos!!

(Fortunately his driving makes up for it so we can forgive him)

The VX Racing team scored a 1-2-3 in the first race with Giovanardi leading home Matt Neal and young Andrew Jordan.

Colin Turkington took victory in race two after a closely fought battle with Giovanardi while Matt Jackson, debuting in an RML Chevrolet had an excellent win in race three.

Off track, McLaren received their expected rap across the knuckles - a suspended race ban. Ron Dennis's recent departure from the scene would appear to have been sufficient to appease the F1 hierarchy.

Today the FIA have announced their planned £ 40 million spending cap for the 2010 season which they hope will lead to up to an additional six cars joining the grid. Several teams including McLaren and Williams have already raised concerns.

No doubt this one will rumble on over the next few months!