Formula One teams and the governing body remained locked in combat on Friday after the publication of a controversial 2010 entry list that included all 10 current teams as well as newcomers from America and Spain.
While stepping back from the brink, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) made clear in a statement that a long-running standoff that has threatened to tear the sport apart over next year’s rules was far from over.
It said that championship leaders Brawn GP, BMW-Sauber, world champion Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren team, Renault and Toyota were only provisional entries and could still be shut out if agreement was not reached by next Friday.
They were “invited to lift their conditions” after further discussions, with other would-be entrants waiting to step in should there be no agreement.
Spain’s Campos Grand Prix, the American-based U.S. F1 and Britain’s Manor Grand Prix were the confirmed newcomers with due diligence still being carried out on others who missed out. guardian.co.uk
The three new teams are all expected to run under the FIA’s voluntary budget cap and all have three-year engine contracts in place with Cosworth, who will return to Formula One racing for the first time since 2006.
Team US F1 is led by Formula One veterans Peter Windsor and Ken Anderson, whose US-based concern hopes to prove ‘that American technology, American drivers and the American competitive spirit can compete and win on the F1 global stage’. British-born Windsor is a former Williams team manager, while American engineer Anderson is an ex-F1 technical director.
Campos Grand Prix is headed by former Formula One driver Adrian Campos, whose Spanish Campos Racing team currently compete in Formula Three, having previously enjoyed success in GP2, winning the 2008 team championship.
The surprise name on the FIA’s list is Manor Grand Prix. British team Manor Motorsport was founded in 1990 by former single-seater champion John Booth and over the years has fielded drivers such as Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton in the likes of Formula Renault and Formula Three. f1.com
The FIA and the Formula One Teams Association have not agreed on a proposed budget cap that would become mandatory next season, causing some leading teams, including Ferrari, to threaten withdrawal from Formula One.
McLaren, Renault, Brawn GP, BMW Sauber and Toyota have been given a week to submit unconditional entries for next season or risk losing their places. The Associated Press
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