Renault join Ferrari in quit threat

The Renault F1 team has joined Ferrari and Toyota in threatening not to enter the 2010 Formula One World Championship over the introduction of budget cap rules.

Just a day after Ferrari announced their intention to withdraw should these rule changes be enforced, and their dissatisfaction with the governance of F1, the French marque has issued a statement saying it is "reconsidering its entry" in next years championship.

The issue isn't over reducing costs, which the FOTA have agreed to do, but more in the manner in which the FIA has tried to enforce new rules.

"There is frustration that FOTA's constructive proposals, including major cost saving measures to be adopted progressively between 2009 and 2012, have been completely ignored without any form of consultation by the FIA with the teams," said Renault in a statement.

The FIA has proposed a two-tier championship where teams that do not volunteer to accept a £40 million cap will have greater technical restrictions. This has incensed the manufacturers: Renault, Ferrari, Toyota, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz. Renault team president Bernard Rey, added: "We remain committed to the sport, however we cannot be involved in a championship operating with different sets of rules, and if such rules are put into effect, we will be forced to pull out at the end of this season."

In March, FOTA agreed plans to increase F1's sustainability that were largely ignored by the FIA, who claim a more stringent cap is the only way F1 can weather the economic crisis and attract new teams. Now it is faced with the threat that the manufacturers will make way for independent teams, taking their engines with them.

It's all about political power-play, with FOTA refusing to accept "unilateral governance" and striving to have greater influence over how the sport is run. They are at loggerheads with Max Mosley, a man who is rarely known to compromise or back down from a fight.

Independent teams Red Bull Racing and Toro Rosso have also signaled their intention to refuse a two-tier championship. Meanwhile, the FIA have invited new teams to apply for places on the grid in 2010. The plan is to increase the number of teams from ten to 13.

My opinion: The budget cap is entirely sensible, but the FIA have ruffled so many feathers of late that the teams just don't want to play ball. The FIA could offer them a Michelin-starred dinner served on Gisele Bundchen's naked body, and the team bosses would say they'd rather have their own packed-lunch. That's just the way it goes. Max may have friends within the FIA, but they're scarce in the paddock.

As for Renault, this is all rather convenient. If there intention was always to pull out at the end of this year, now they have the perfect scape goat.