THE Formula One Teams’ Association yesterday called on the World Motor Sport Council and FIA Senate to intervene in the budget-cap row.
The FIA’s announcement of the 2010 teams has, as expected, caused further uproar, notably Ferrari’s inclusion against their wishes.
Ferrari have made it clear they have no desire to compete in next year’s championship until, in their own words, ‘‘the condition of its entry are satisfied’’.
Ferrari maintain that FIA president Max Mosley has failed to meet those conditions and is ‘‘in violation of Ferrari’s rights under a written agreement with the FIA’’.
Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso have also confirmed their loyalty to the Formula One Teams’ Association, despite the FIA granting them an unconditional entry.
As for McLaren, Renault, Toyota, BMW Sauber and Brawn GP, they have been given an extra week’s grace to submit their own unconditional entries, otherwise the FIA will return to the pool of potential new entrants.
In the wake of yesterday’s announcement, the FOTA eight have drafted a letter – a copy of which has been leaked – to the World Council and FIA Senate imploring them to bring to an end the uncertainty of the last few weeks.
Under the heading ‘Recommendations’, it reads: ‘‘We respectfully seek the intervention of the World Council to facilitate solutions to the present situation.
‘‘We have attended numerous meetings with the FIA’s representatives and have been unable to make any substantive progress.
‘‘The entry list has been published, with five established teams listed as conditional entries. Ferrari, Red Bull and Toro Rosso, against their will, have been classified as unconditional entries.
‘‘All of these teams are united in their concerns about the present situation and are deeply worried about the crisis that Formula One now faces, a crisis that appears to be self-generated.
‘‘The teams wish to find a swift solution to the situation, but in case this cannot be done, they will reluctantly have to seek alternative solutions which protect them.
‘‘In a final attempt to resolve this crisis, further meetings are scheduled for the next seven days.
‘‘We would urge your support to ensure the outcome of these meetings achieves a solution that allows long-established competitors to continue in their sport within a framework of sound governance and stability that will ensure the future and sustainability of Formula One.’’ The bottom line is the teams no longer believe they can work with Mosley, with his governance at the heart of the issues that have raged since the 69-year-old unilaterally announced a voluntary £40m budget cap at the end of April.
Ferrari’s case centres around the fact they were granted a right of veto over any new regulations under a separate arrangement with the FIA in 2005.
They claim Mosley has breached that right, thus invalidating their contract with the FIA, and why they should not have been listed as an unconditional entrant.
In the letter, FOTA seek ‘‘a balanced and transparent basis of governance’’ in the hope of restoring ‘‘a situation where the teams work in harmony with the Federation’’.
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