Formula One news

Williams keen to recover harmony

Williams hopes to regain peace amongst the ten Formula One teams after breaking FOTA ranks this week by submitting its entry to the 2010 World Championship. The Grove-based outfit, having explained its motives, was gracious in its understanding of a suspension from the association and has since expressed its desire to rejoin discussions as soon as possible.

With FOTA (Formula One Teams' Association) hoping to remove governing body's proposed £40m budget cap, due to start next season, a letter was sent to the FIA on Sunday explained the teams' 'unified' decision; Williams, however, submitted its entry on Monday, claiming to be contractually bound within the FIA and FOM (Bernie Ecclestone's Formula One Management, commercial rights holder of the sport).

Sir Frank Williams understands FOTA's decision to suspend his team from meetings

With the Williams team suspended from this Wednesday's FOTA meeting at Heathrow, Adam Parr (top photo) summed up the situation. "Frank (Williams, team owner) and I were both there," the company's CEO explained to The Telegraph. "The first item on the agenda was our continued participation in FOTA; we clarified our reasons for doing what we did on Monday and we then offered to leave the room. After a while we were called back in and told, in a very polite and non-confrontational manner, that - while negotiations with the governing body continued - it would be better if we were not part of the discussions."

He stressed, however, that the team is not on a mission to break up FOTA. "One thing I would like to make clear is that there is no agenda on the part of Williams," he continued. "We are not trying to split the teams - we are not even trying to dissuade them (from not submitting entries).

"As a team we have a certain philosophy and this is an inevitable and necessary development. It may well be that other teams have a different view - I completely respect that We feel there is a huge chance to resolve this and very much hope that all of the existing teams, plus one or two new ones, will be on the grid with us next year."

The clock is ticking for FOTA, however, with the entry deadline to next year's World Championship being this Friday.

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