FOTA Response To FIA Rules "Changes", WDC Determination,Etc.

The Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) has expressed its 'concern' about the FIA's decision to impose a radical rules shake up on the sport.

The FIA announced on Tuesday that it was rejecting a FOTA proposal to revise the points structure in F1, and instead was to introduce a system whereby the world title would be handed to the driver with the most wins.

Furthermore, the FIA has announced plans for a voluntary budget cap to be introduced - offering teams that sign up to limit their budget to £30 million per season the chance to be as competitive as those with unlimited spending power.

The plans have not gone down well with FOTA, which felt in recent weeks that it had made much headway with plans to reduce budgets by 50% for 2010 through a series of cost-cutting measures.

A statement from FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo said: "With regard to the decisions taken today by the FIA World Council, FOTA would like to express its disappointment and concern at the fact that these have been taken in a unilateral manner.

"The framework of the regulations as defined by the FIA, to be applicable as from 2010, runs the risk of turning on its head the very essence of Formula 1 and the principles that make it one of the most popular and appealing sports.

"Given the timeframe and the way in which these modifications were decided upon, we feel it is necessary to study closely the new situation and to do everything, especially in these difficult times, to maintain a stable framework for the regulations without continuous upheaval, that can be perplexing and confusing for car manufacturers, teams, the public and sponsors."