FOTA plans further talks at Abu Dhabi GP to end unease about RRA

The executive committee of the Formula One Teams' Association met in the Yeongam paddock ahead of the race to try and make progress about resolving differences of opinion about the implementation of the RRA going forward.

This has come after concerns that both Red Bull and Mercedes could be adopting a more aggressive interpretation of the RRA than their rivals - which could leave the way open for an all-out spending war if the agreement fell apart.

Most of the FOTA meeting in Korea was devoted to trying to forge a way forward that all teams would be happy with. Although no final agreement was reached, sources have told AUTOSPORT that it was agreed that another meeting would take place at the Abu Dhabi GP next month to try and make further progress.

The teams elected to choose Abu Dhabi, rather than the next race on the calendar in India, because the Buddh event is expected to be a busy one in terms of corporate guests and other meetings.

Mercedes team principal Ross Brawn said earlier in the Korea weekend that he believed the RRA was at a key moment, which is why agreement on the matter now was important.

"We're respecting the RRA but I think it's at a crossroads, I think it's at a crossroads because it's now starting to bite to those three or four teams who have to control their resource to comply," he said.

"I think there's seven or eight teams for whom RRA means nothing, because they're always going to be below the limit.

"Now we're at a stage where the targets that were set are starting to bite into the three or four teams and this is where it starts to get contentious and we haven;t structured it well enough yet to have the controls and checks and reassurances in place that gives everybody comfort. [That] leads to the innuendo and accusations that get thrown around."

FOTA teams also discussed plans for the forthcoming F1 Commission meeting in Geneva on November 3, where a vote on the Team Lotus and Renault outfits' name changes for next year will take place.

It is understood that all FOTA teams made it clear that they would not block the name changes to Caterham and Lotus going ahead, despite seeking clarifications about the impact on the F1 brand of name changes.