In an attempt to set the record straight after FOTA's much-publicised walkout from yesterday's Technical Working Group (TWG) at the Nurburgring, the FIA has revealed that they left the FOTA 8 unentered in the 2010 championship at the association's request. The governing body believed that the teams wanted the Concorde Agreement to be renewed before committing to the series, thereby explaining yesterday's news that the FOTA 8 were not yet entered for next season.

In a lengthy statement issued at the Nurburgring on Thursday afternoon, the FIA also refuted FOTA's claims that it had not been told unanimous agreement was needed among all 13 teams with regard to the 2010 regulations, having originally believed the Paris peace deal allowed the FOTA 8 to finalise the regulations among themselves.

“Before FOTA's decision to walk out of yesterday's Technical Working Group meeting, the President of the FIA wrote twice to the President of FOTA to remind him that any amendments to the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship regulations were subject to the unanimous approval of the five teams that had already entered for next season under the rules as published,” read the FIA statement.

“It follows that the agreement of the five teams currently entered in the 2010 World Championship to all 2010 rule changes is required. To suggest that FOTA were only made aware of this during the meetings of yesterday is quite simply untrue. So is the implicit claim that they were all unaware of one of motor sport's basic principles.”

More critically however, the FIA refused to take the blame for the FOTA 8 not being entered for 2010, as the teams were told by the FIA's Charlie Whiting in yesterday's Sporting Working Group (SWG) meeting, just prior to the TWG meeting. With the Concorde Agreement not yet finalised or signed, only five teams are therefore officially entered for next year's championship.

“It has always been the FIA's understanding that the FOTA teams wanted a Concorde Agreement in place before entering the 2010 Championship,” claimed the FIA. “Once entered, the FOTA teams could no longer threaten a breakaway because of the contractual position mentioned above.”