wombat666
Administrator
The fight between existing formula one teams and the FIA is a spanner in the works of David Richards' prospective entry for 2010.
The former Benetton and BAR boss was planning a budget-capped entry for next year, to run under his Prodrive or Aston Martin brands, or in the guise of a Middle Eastern-funded foray.
But with major current teams now threatening to quit over Max Mosley's cost-slashing methods, Richards is not yet committing to making the May 29 deadline for a 2010 team entry.
"We are very concerned about the controversy these proposals have created with the existing teams and the uncertainty that this has created," he told GPWeek.
"It is important for us and our partners that there is stability in the sport with broad alignment on the future direction of formula one and this will be a critical issue in our decision making process as to whether or not to make an entry," added Richards.
In fact, given the uncertainty and the existing teams' threats, it is likely that, come May 29, only three or four teams will actually meet the FIA's entry deadline.
But that doesn't mean that, despite the 13 two-car team vacancies, the May 29 deadline will lock in a six or eight-car grid for 2010.
An FIA spokesman confirmed that entries after May 29 "would be accepted with the appropriate late entry fee".
The former Benetton and BAR boss was planning a budget-capped entry for next year, to run under his Prodrive or Aston Martin brands, or in the guise of a Middle Eastern-funded foray.
But with major current teams now threatening to quit over Max Mosley's cost-slashing methods, Richards is not yet committing to making the May 29 deadline for a 2010 team entry.
"We are very concerned about the controversy these proposals have created with the existing teams and the uncertainty that this has created," he told GPWeek.
"It is important for us and our partners that there is stability in the sport with broad alignment on the future direction of formula one and this will be a critical issue in our decision making process as to whether or not to make an entry," added Richards.
In fact, given the uncertainty and the existing teams' threats, it is likely that, come May 29, only three or four teams will actually meet the FIA's entry deadline.
But that doesn't mean that, despite the 13 two-car team vacancies, the May 29 deadline will lock in a six or eight-car grid for 2010.
An FIA spokesman confirmed that entries after May 29 "would be accepted with the appropriate late entry fee".