JOIN USF1 teams told to accept FIA rules
In a clear sign that the International Automobile Federation (FIA) was not about to give in to the teams' demands after weeks of negotiations between the two sides raised hopes of a compromise, the FIA president presented a simple choice.
"I say (to them): If you want to formulate your own rules, then you can organise your own championship -- assuming the rules satisfy the safety requirements," he told Swiss weekly Motorsport Aktuell.
"But we have the Formula One world championship and we make the rules for that," he added .
"We've been doing it for 60 years and we'll continue to do it in the future. Now we have a dispute and we'll see who prevails."
There was no immediate comment from the teams, some of whom have threatened to walk away if the 2010 rules are not rewritten, at the Turkish Grand Prix on Thursday.
The FIA plans to introduce an optional 40 million pound ($65.10 million) budget cap next season to keep teams in the sport and encourage new ones to enter at a time of global recession.
Ferrari threat
The Formula One Teams Association, chaired by Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, has said the plan would create an unacceptable two-tier championship while also reducing Formula One to the level of a junior series.
While former champions Williams have submitted an unconditional entry, and been suspended from FOTA, the other nine current teams only registered conditionally by the May 29 deadline.
The FIA is due to publish its entry list on June 12.
The standoff has been complicated by at least ten applications from teams eager to enter Formula One under the proposed budget cap.
They include familiar names from the sport's past such as Lola, Brabham and March as well as a Kuwaiti-financed Prodrive team that is likely to compete eventually under the Aston Martin sportscar marque.
The FIA has said that there would be space for three new teams if all ten existing ones stayed.