Teams, Manufacturers Agree on Rules

As Autosport-Atlas exclusively revealed, the parties involved met in the paddock at Hockenheim on Saturday evening to finalise the results of discussions that have taken place in working groups over the course of this year.

The result is a document outlining the technical and sporting regulations that they would like to see the sport adopt from 2008.

The FIA has already issued its own proposals for Formula One from 2008, and although there are believed to be differences between the two regulations packages, there are also some similarities.

Honda's Otmar Szafnauer told Autosport-Atlas: "On Monday there will be a press release saying what was agreed and the FIA are going to get our sporting and technical regulation proposals.

"There are some differences, but a lot the same. I think we will have discussions after the FIA has had time to digest what we are giving them."

Speaking about the meeting itself, BMW's Mario Theissen said: "It went well. We made progress on all the issues on the table. There are similarities but differences as well so I expect there will be quite a few discussions to come."

It is not clear yet exactly how much of what has been proposed by the teams and manufacturers will be put into the public domain, with the FIA having already published its F1 ideas in total, but Toyota's John Howett claimed that work on reaching common ground would definitely take place behind closed doors.

"I believe we have a synergy between what we have agreed and what the FIA has put out," he said. "We will seek to have discussions soon, but they will be done in private."