US F1 applies to enter FOTA

FOTA currently consists of eight of the current teams, with Williams and Force India having been suspended from the organisation following their decision to lodge entries to the 2010 championship amid the summer threats of a breakaway series.

F1's three new teams - US F1, Campos Grand Prix and Manor Grand Prix - have now all been told that they are welcome to join FOTA and have been informed about the procedures by which they can become members.

AUTOSPORT understands US F1 is the first outfit to formally accept the invitation and request membership - with its application due to be examined by FOTA's executive committee at the Italian Grand Prix.

Discussions between FOTA and Williams and Force India are also ongoing about their future positions. Force India COO Simon Roberts said after the Belgian Grand Prix that he would discuss the matter with team owner Vijay Mallya soon.

"I think we've been invited back in," he told AUTOSPORT. "I talked to Vijay earlier. We have participated whenever we can. We complied with all of the shutdown restrictions and we're quite happy with that.

"To be honest, we've been really busy. Before the shutdown it was fine because we knew what was happening, but we've been struggling to pick it back up. Now we've had this result we can relax a bit, discuss it with Vijay and take up that offer."

Williams' position appears to be slightly different, with the team admitting that it was not a given that it would rejoin FOTA.

Team boss Frank Williams told AUTOSPORT about his outfit's relationship with FOTA: "It is a little arms' length but it is not hostile.

"We had a difficulty because we chose to sign (our 2010 entry) early, and in truth, we signed the Concorde Agreement early. That is because most of our sponsors' condition is that we are a member of the official FIA F1 world championship and the promoters' Concorde Agreement."