The renegade group of current F1 teams have written to FIA president Max Mosley essentially ordering him to change the rules for the 2010 championship to suit them, otherwise they will refuse to commit their collective futures to the sport.
After a busy series of meetings over the course of the Monaco weekend, things seemed to be running a little more smoothly between the trenchant sides of the rules battle, with the Formula One Teams' Association saying the meetings had been productive, and Mosley hinting that he may be open to a compromise involving a delay or change to the introduction of the controversial budget cap."I can imagine we can take it through one year if possible [with the] higher figure and then go to the full cap in 2011, but that's something under discussion," Mosley shouted at Reuters, inferring that he would be happy with a higher initial cap figure for next year.
However, the promise that all this nonsense would be over soon was snuffed out with FOTA's latest ultimatum, with the letter spelling out the conditions which the teams would consider continuing to race in the series next year.
The letter was sent just before the start of the race yesterday, and in it the teams state that the FIA should immediately tear up their 2010 rulebook and keep with the 2009 regulations for next year, which would then be changed with new ideas regarding cost control. The teams also want strict guarantees about the FIA's role and actions in the sport, and a greater say in any changes to the regulations in the future.
One of the alternative cost cutting proposals from the teams is rumoured to be a "Cost Control System", which is a nebulous plan that would be governed by FOTA and not the FIA.
In return for bending over for FOTA, the FIA would receive the teams' commitment to the F1 grid not only for next year, but through until 2012.
Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali explained the letter as: "What we have asked is to go back to the rules of this year, the 2009 rules, and then see together what we can do in order to make changes for next year."
On the question of whether a compromise can be agreed by the 2010 entry deadline on Friday, the Ferrari man shrugged and said: "I don't know really. I think the points that we have put on the table are pretty clear, and I think we raised some issues in the meeting that we had....I am sure it will be a very important week because the entry to this championship has to be finalised by Friday. I think they will be long days."
Toyota president John Howett was in a similarly non-committal mood. "I think we have to wait and see," he said from his position sitting on a fence, "There are still some gaps. While there has been definite movement, I think we have to wait and see what the solution is and whether it is accepted or not."
The next stage for the FOTA side of the debate will be a meeting later on this week, designed to discuss their plans regarding the submission of their entries before Friday's deadline. Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and BMW Sauber have all indicated to some degree that they would forego their entry should the rules remain the same.
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