Ferrari has lost its legal battle in France today that would see a block on the 2010 rules regarding a budget cap. With that loss, the major teams that are boycotting the championship next year only have a few days left to file their entry for the 2010 season.
Ferrari were told that they had no reason to stop the budget cap the FIA has put in place to regulate costs due to the sport. The FIA argued that the Maranello team had not used the veto when it had the chance and that the veto was no longer available to them. The FIA had also a number of letters from new prospective teams that indicated without the budget and technical regulations; they would not be able to participate in Formula 1.
This could be the first major hit recorded by the FIA against FOTA in a formal battle that has really been fierce since the medal system. At the same time however, is this really a battle the FIA want to win? If they continue to hold out and lose Ferrari, Toyota, and Red Bull Technologies as well as Renault, what will be left? Ferrari has called the quality of those teams ridiculous and stated that F1 should actually be re-branded as “Formula GP3”. I have to somewhat agree however on this point given the fact that the teams except for maybe USGPE have no real business entering the sport. F1 as always been the pinnacle of motorsport, not a fools rush in because the price is right. iSport, Campos, and Formtech will enter Formula 1 with the intent of surviving and being on the grid. However, it will only be a few seasons before a lot of these teams decide to bow out due to lack of success. Just because the teams have ambition to lodge an entry does not mean that those entries will be lodged when the deadline comes and goes. It is just becoming really amazing how the FIA now has free and legal rain to destroy the series however they see fit.
News that McLaren may still lodge an entry to the FIA cannot be a surprise. Even with this news of a potential entry, we are still staring into the face of the FIA/FOTA split that they may see either two separate series, or some of these teams going to different racing series.
