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A week of intense speculation has ended with the FOTA teams all submitting their entries for the 2010 Formula One season. But this should not be misconstrued as a victory for the FIA, or as an end to hostilities.
With the exception of Williams, who submitted their application on Monday and were consequently suspended from FOTA, these entries are all conditional on the FIA accepting certain modifications to the 2010 regulations. It is a bold and clever move, which puts pressure once again back on the FIA.
No specific cost-cutting proposals are mentioned in FOTA's statement, but it is expected that they will seek a compromise with the FIA, delaying the implementation of a universal €45m budget cap until 2011, with 2010 as an interim year. This proposed compromise is understood to have been accepted in principle by Max Mosley, but that does not mean that the WMSC will necessarily agree.
The WMSC could still take the hardline approach, enforcing the budget cap as originally planned and thereby rejecting the entries of the nine FOTA teams. But with only six teams - Williams, Prodrive, USF1, Lola, Campos and Litespeed - having submitted unconditional entries for 2010, that could leave them with a maximum potential grid of only 18 cars, still short of the 20 required to meet sport's commercial obligations.
It is worth pointing out that the FIA could have saved itself this trouble if it had set a November deadline for the receipt of entries, as per usual, leaving time for open discussion of the regulations to take place. By opting for a May date, however, it has tried to force the teams' hands, and instead ended up losing face. Its plan has backfired, and now it is being dictated terms to by FOTA.
Perhaps the most crucial aspect of this entire saga is how all the teams - including both the manufacturers and the independents (Williams excepted) - have stood firm together on this issue, challenging the sport's governing body to either accept them or reject them all as a unit. Such solidarity has rarely been seen in recent years.
Exactly how the FIA will react remains to be seen. The list of accepted entries to the 2010 championship will not be published until 12 June. More than ever, however, it seems certain that they must compromise.
UPDATE
ReplyDeleteMarchF1's announcement of their entry for 2010 (http://en.f1-live.com/f1/en/headlines/news/detail/090530093936.shtml) means that the FIA now have seven teams on board. In theory they can now make a grid of 21 cars - enough to satisfy their commercial obligations. That, however, would mean they would need to accept the entries all six new outfits, regardless of whether they possess the necessary facilities and sponsorship to ensure long-term survival, which are normal prerequisites for admission to the F1 championship.