CNR
12th June 2009, 01:22
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/76027
Formula 1 is bracing itself for what could be its biggest day in recent years, with the FIA due to publish the much awaited 2010 world championship entry list before lunchtime on Friday.
After last-ditch talks aimed at bringing an end to the stand-off between the FIA and the Formula 1 Teams' Association (FOTA) ended inconclusively on Thursday afternoon, all eyes are now on how many of the current teams will be on the entry list.
FIA president Max Mosley met in London with four representatives of FOTA - Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali, Brawn GP's Ross Brawn, Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner and Toyota's John Howett - in order to try and thrash out an 11th hour deal that will keep all the current teams committed.
But although there was no public confirmation that the two sides had edged any closer to a deal, there were suggestions that FOTA and the FIA were not totally at loggerheads on a way forward.
One source compared the situation to the black or white smoke signals given off by the Vatican during the election process of a new Pope. "There is grey smoke tonight," he said.
In recent days there has been more talk of a compromise deal, with Mosley indicating in a recent letter to Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo that the FIA would be ready to scrap the two-tier F1 plans, and sign a Concorde Agreement, if teams agreed to a 100-million-euro budget cap for 2010 - prior to it being reduced to Ģ40 million (GBP) the following year.
As to what happens with the entry list announcement on Friday, no one outside of the FIA's circles is sure about what will happen.
Williams and Force India are certain to be on it, having lodged unconditional entries, and it should not be too difficult for the FIA to find at least three new teams to fill the available slots on the grid.
However, which of the remaining current outfits is on the entry list will determine where F1 is heading in both the next few weeks and perhaps the longer term.
Should the entries of the eight remaining FOTA members - Ferrari
Formula 1 is bracing itself for what could be its biggest day in recent years, with the FIA due to publish the much awaited 2010 world championship entry list before lunchtime on Friday.
After last-ditch talks aimed at bringing an end to the stand-off between the FIA and the Formula 1 Teams' Association (FOTA) ended inconclusively on Thursday afternoon, all eyes are now on how many of the current teams will be on the entry list.
FIA president Max Mosley met in London with four representatives of FOTA - Ferrari's Stefano Domenicali, Brawn GP's Ross Brawn, Red Bull Racing's Christian Horner and Toyota's John Howett - in order to try and thrash out an 11th hour deal that will keep all the current teams committed.
But although there was no public confirmation that the two sides had edged any closer to a deal, there were suggestions that FOTA and the FIA were not totally at loggerheads on a way forward.
One source compared the situation to the black or white smoke signals given off by the Vatican during the election process of a new Pope. "There is grey smoke tonight," he said.
In recent days there has been more talk of a compromise deal, with Mosley indicating in a recent letter to Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo that the FIA would be ready to scrap the two-tier F1 plans, and sign a Concorde Agreement, if teams agreed to a 100-million-euro budget cap for 2010 - prior to it being reduced to Ģ40 million (GBP) the following year.
As to what happens with the entry list announcement on Friday, no one outside of the FIA's circles is sure about what will happen.
Williams and Force India are certain to be on it, having lodged unconditional entries, and it should not be too difficult for the FIA to find at least three new teams to fill the available slots on the grid.
However, which of the remaining current outfits is on the entry list will determine where F1 is heading in both the next few weeks and perhaps the longer term.
Should the entries of the eight remaining FOTA members - Ferrari