All 10 Formula One teams met Friday’s deadline to enter cars for next season, ending a threatened pullout by Ferrari and others in a dispute over a planned budget cap.
The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) said it submitted conditional entries from nine teams — Brawn, BMW Sauber, Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, Red Bull, Renault, Toro Rosso and Toyota. The 10th team on the 2009 grid, Williams, lodged its entry last week.
Ferrari, Renault, Red Bull, Toyota and Toro Rosso had threatened to withdraw from F1 next season if governing body FIA goes ahead with plans to introduce a voluntary 45 million euro (US$60 million) budget cap.
Teams accepting the cap would be given more technical freedom, creating what the big teams fear will be a two-tier championship.
FOTA said in a statement that its members confirmed a “long-term commitment” to the racing series.
All 10 teams “unanimously agreed further and significant actions to substantially reduce the costs of competing in the championship in the next three years,” it said.
FOTA did not comment directly on FIA’s budget cap plan. Under a reported compromise, next season could start with teams operating under a 100 million euro cap in exchange for sharing technology with new teams.
The US$60 million cap would be deferred until 2011.
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