Manor eagerly and anxiously awaits the 2010 regulations

John Booth, team principal of Manor Grand Prix, believes it is too early to know whether the compromise, which led to a new cost reduction agreed upon between the FIA and the FOTA last week, will have an impact on his team’s plans for the 2010 Formula 1 championship.

Manor is one of the three new teams, along with USF1 and Campos, that have been authorized by the FIA to participate in the upcoming championship. These entries were made under rules that included a budget cap of 40 million pounds (45 million euros). Today, this has been replaced by a proposal from FOTA, the details of which are unknown.

But, according to Booth, until the FIA and all the teams agree to sign a new Concorde Agreement and lock in the current regulations, it is impossible to know Manor’s position.

« Honestly, I don’t know, he declared. « Every time you think you’ve solved the problems, everything changes again, it’s like walking in quicksand. »

« But we have to wait for the Concorde agreement to be signed, if they ever sign it! Then we will comment.

Booth remains convinced that Manor will be on the F1 grid next season, but admits that the absence of a budget cap will make things more complicated.

« It will be more difficult, of course, but I think we can manage it. It depends on the goal to achieve within the two years. Honestly, it is almost impossible to comment. »

« It is important that all the cars are racing within a single championship, » he added. « But I can’t really comment on the agreement. »

To conclude, we asked Booth if he would have entered the F1 championship if he had known that the rules for 2010 would ultimately be those of 2009, he replied: « Probably not. But will they stick to the 2009 rules? »

« Until the specific rules are unveiled, each of us can only guess. »