FOTA vows to change 'bad' FIA rules

FOTA's eight members have been given until next Friday to drop their conditions of entry to the 2010 world championship, or risk being sidelined.

However, in a statement issued by the teams' body, FOTA made it clear that it was unhappy about the regulations for next year and beyond, and said fans were now getting 'dismayed and confused' by the row.

Furthermore, FOTA claimed that the FIA had made an 'erroneous' statement in announcing that Ferrari, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso had unconditional entries to next year, as part of commitments they made to the FIA and FOM several years ago.

"In response to the erroneous statement made today by FIA, the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) wishes to underline that the entries of all its members - excluding the temporarily suspended Force India and Williams - have been submitted to the FIA as conditional entries.

"The entries to the 2010 FIA F1 Championship submitted by BMW-Sauber, Brawn GP, Ferrari, McLaren, Red Bull Racing, Renault, Toro Rosso and Toyota were based upon conditions that have still yet to be met."

With more meetings scheduled for the next few days to try and reach a settlement, and FOTA having written to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council to step in and help find a resolution, the body did not hold back in its criticisms of the proposals put forward by the governing body.

"FOTA will continue to act constructively on resolving differences with the FIA. Regrettably FOTA is being forced to outline in detail our objections to the new arbitrary FIA proposals and we will release details of our concerns in the near future which will constructively explain why the FIA's proposals are bad for the future of Formula 1, the jobs of those employed within the motor-racing industry and especially the millions of loyal fans who are dismayed and confused at the internal bickering within our sport," added the statement.

"FOTA reaffirms the unity and strength of its members, welcomes the three new F1 entrants announced today and remains committed to work with all the bodies of the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile to resolve our differences."