Customer car deal delayed by paperwork

The final paperwork in the agreement to bring an end to Formula One's customer car row will be signed off by lawyers and Bernie Ecclestone in the next few weeks, autosport.com has learned

After a breakthrough meeting at Silverstone where Spyker, Super Aguri and Scuderia Toro Rosso agreed to pool their television rights money for this season, there had been hope that a signed agreement could be completed at the British Grand Prix.

However, with the paperwork agreement being slightly more complicated than previously thought, and the three teams keen to ensure that lawyers examine thoroughly the documentation, the matter will likely be resolved in a meeting at Ecclestone's London office.

None of the teams involved in the matter have commented, but it is understood that are all happy to accept the settlement.

While the matter about customer cars used this season is close to being finally resolved, team boss Frank Williams thinks there is still some way to go to sort out the payment issues regarding teams that use customer cars from 2008.

At the meeting on Friday it was agreed that customer car teams would not receive constructors' championship money.

Williams said: "One of the issues may become that there will have to be a panel to be appointed in the event of a dispute of someone claiming to be a genuine constructor. And who appoints the panel will be the subject of a major argument. We will get there in the end.

"Spyker will be entitled (to the money) because as we understand, and no one at the meeting seemed to dispute, they are a genuine constructor.

"The bigger problem in that regard is now to worry about Red Bull Two and Honda Two if they ever get into the top ten. That's the biggest point at the moment."