Prodrive applies for entry to 2010 Formula 1

Agence France-Presse

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Any teams that want to fill one of the 13 available places must inform the FIA by later Friday. On Monday, Williams broke ranks with the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) by announcing that they intend to enter.

The nine remaining FOTA members are expected to make a united decision on whether to follow suit later Friday. FOTA are in the middle of a heated row with the sports' rulers over FIA president Max Mosley's intention to introduce a voluntary 40 million pound budget cap from 2010.

Ferrari, who have been a feature of every season since F1 was launched in 1950, are threatening to pull out unless Mosley backs down on his controversial plans.

Both sides met on the sidelines of last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix with Mosley afterwards suggesting a compromise was in the air. Prodrive chairman David Richards meanwhile promised that his team would not just be there to make up the numbers.

"With the help of Dar Capital, in raising the finance, coupled with our understanding of the latest proposals to assist new teams, we now feel the conditions are right to formally request the FIA for an entry," he said. "The level of next year's cost cap has risen substantially since we originally considered entering. However everyone appears committed to major reductions in future years and when one takes into account the transition proposals for new teams we are confident that we now have the opportunity to be both commercially viable and competitive."