Deadline Hits For F1 Teams To Decide Future

The ongoing row over a proposed £40m budget cap for the 2010 F1 season is set to reach a climax as the deadline imposed by world motorsport governing body the FIA for teams to enter next year’s World Championship ends.

Teams wishing to fill one of the 13 available places must inform governing body the FIA by 29th May.

Earlier this week Williams broke ranks with the F1 Teams’ Association (FOTA) by announcing that they intend to enter – a move that led to the team being temporarily suspended from the representative body.

The remaining nine members of FOTA are expected to make a united decision on whether to follow suit.

The heads of each team met in London this week to plot their next move as negotiations with the FIA over the future of the sport continue.

Led by Ferrari who attempted unsuccessfully to overturn the FIA’s stance in court, the teams have told the governing body they will commit until 2012 if president Max Mosley scraps his controversial rules, including the addition of an optional budget cap for 2010.

At a meeting at the Monaco Grand Prix, it was agreed in principle to delay the cap until 2011, while Mosley has made other concessions to the teams on governance.

The ongoing debate over F1’s regulations has made the issue of submitting an entry for 2010 more complex than usual.

Although the deadline expires on 29th May, six months earlier than normal, the FIA will consider late entries, although delayed submissions could trigger a penalty.

There is, however, little leeway for late entries as the FIA will publish its list of accepted teams and drivers for the 2010 championship on 12th June.

Prompted by the prospect of a budget cap which would enable them to be competitive, a number of new teams are expected to submit entries for consideration by the FIA in time for this week’s deadline.

Team US F1 and Spain’s Campos Racing have already applied to compete next season while other names, including former F1 constructor Lola, are expected to throw their hats into the ring before the deadline runs out. Norfolk-based Litespeed GP have also confirmed they will submit an entry.