Doubts over the strength of the recent FIA/FOTA Formula 1 peace deal re-emerged on Wednesday after the eight FOTA teams walked out of a meeting with the governing body.
Just two weeks on from the agreement between the feuding sides which appeared to avert the threat of a breakaway championship, all 13 teams confirmed on the 2010 grid met with the FIA at the Nurburgring for discussions which the governing body says were designed to formalise the rule changes which had been agreed in the compromise deal.
However, the meeting ended in disarray when representatives from the eight FOTA teams staged a walkout before the talks got round to discussion of the further regulation alterations it wants to see introduced for next season.
In a statement the FIA added that while agreement had been reached on the majority of the previously proposed changes, issues over the minimum weight of next year’s cars remained unresolved – while the signing of a document that committed teams to bringing down costs to early-1990s levels had yet to be signed.
“Following the decision of the World Council on 24 June to revert to the pre-29 April version of the 2010 F1 Sporting and Technical Regulations, the FIA today met the teams which have entered the 2010 Championship to seek their agreement to these changes,” the FIA statement read.
“All changes have now been agreed subject only to the maintenance of the minimum weight at 620 kg and the signing of a legally binding agreement between all the teams competing in 2010 to reduce costs to the level of the early 1990s within two years, as promised by the FOTA representative in Paris on 24 June.
“The eight FOTA teams were invited to attend the meeting to discuss their further proposals for 2010.
“Unfortunately no discussion was possible because FOTA walked out of the meeting.”
The latest twist to the long-running saga over F1's future adds to the growing doubts about the durability of the peace deal, the first of which emerged just days after the agreement was reached.
While the deal saw the governing body drop its divisive £40m budget cap rule and instead agree to the teams introducing their own measures with a promise of reducing budgets to early 1990s levels, a key aspect of the agreement was believed to be assurances from Max Mosley that he didn’t seek re-election as FIA president when his term of office expired in October.
However, Mosley subsequently indicated he may not stand down after all after accusing the FOTA teams of “dancing on my grave” after announcing he would take a back seat on F1 issues for the remainder of his term.
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