FOTA teams have walked out of an FIA meeting to discuss rule changes for the 2010 world championship.
Doubts cast upon deal to avoid breakaway
Fresh doubts have been cast upon the recent deal between FOTA teams and the FIA to stave off the threat of a breakaway series after the former walked out of a meeting to discuss and agree rule changes for the 2010 world championship.
All parties sat down at the Nurburgring - venue for this weekend's German Grand Prix - with the invitees including the three new teams recently granted entry to next year's grid as well as Williams and Force India - the only two current teams not to belong to the manufacturer-backed FOTA group.
The Formula One Teams' Association had threatened to form their own breakaway championship in protest at plans by FIA president Max Mosley to introduce a £40 million budget cap next year.
The threat of a breakaway appeared to have subsided late last month when FOTA agreed a deal with the FIA to reduce costs equivalent to those seen in the early 1990s within two years, as well as to offer technical assistance to new teams at a more affordable price.
Wednesday's meeting of the FIA's Sporting and Technical Working Groups were supposed to give all teams the opportunity to discuss and agree on rule changes for next year as well as to sign a legally binding agreement to reduce costs.
However, progress was halted after the FOTA teams - Ferrari, McLaren Mercedes, BMW Sauber, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Brawn GP - suddenly walked out.
Dispute
The latest dispute centres around the legality of the eight teams' entry into next season's world championship, as well as voting rights in relation to the technical and sporting regulations.
A statement issued by FOTA read: "Representatives of all FOTA teams attended a meeting of the Sporting Working Group at the Nurburgring today.
"During the course of this meeting, the team managers were informed by Charlie Whiting of the FIA that, contrary to previous agreements, the eight FOTA teams are not currently entered into the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship and have no voting rights in relation to the technical and sporting regulations thereof.
"It will be remembered all eight active FOTA members were included on the "accepted" entry list as endorsed by the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) and communicated by FIA press statement on June 24.
"In light of these claims, the FOTA representatives requested a postponement of today's meetings.
"This was rejected on the grounds no new Concorde Agreement would be permitted before a unanimous approval of the 2010 regulations was achieved.
"However, it is clear to the FOTA teams that the basis of the 2010 technical and sporting regulations was already established in Paris.
"As endorsed by the World Motor Sport Council and clearly stated in the FIA press statement of June 24 'the rules for 2010 onwards will be the 2009 regulations as well as further regulations agreed prior to April 29, 2009'.
"At no point in the Paris discussions was any requirement for unanimous agreement on regulations change expressed.
"To subsequently go against the will of the WMSC and the detail of the Paris agreement puts the future of Formula One in jeopardy.
"As a result of these statements, the FOTA representatives at the subsequent Technical Working Group were not able to exercise their rights and therefore had no option other than to terminate their participation.
"The FOTA members undertook the Paris agreement and the subsequent discussions in good faith and with a desire to engage with all new and existing teams on the future of Formula One."
Controversial
In their own statement, the FIA said: "Following the decision of the World Council on 24 June to revert to the pre-29 April version of the 2010 F1 Sporting and Technical Regulations, the FIA today met the teams which have entered the 2010 championship to seek their agreement to these changes.
"All changes have now been agreed subject only to the maintenance of the minimum weight at 620kg and the signing of a legally binding agreement between all the teams competing in 2010 to reduce costs to the level of the early 1990s within two years, as promised by the FOTA representative in Paris on 24 June.
"The eight FOTA teams were invited to attend the meeting to discuss their further proposals for 2010.
"Unfortunately no discussion was possible because FOTA walked out of the meeting."
Mosley, whose style of leadership has been as controversial as his plans for a budget cap, had agreed not to seek another term of office when the FIA reached its initial agreement with FOTA.
However, he subsequently said he would reconsider his decision after FOTA president Luca di Montezemolo refused to apologise for comments made that compared Mosley to a 'dictator'.
