Just going back through my email archive I came across the February 29th press release from the FIA anticipating what arrived yesterday. Take a look, especially paragraph 3 and see how it evolved from here.
“In view of the difficult economic conditions which continue to affect Formula One sponsors and major car manufacturers, the FIA is preparing radical proposals for 2010.
If adopted by the World Motor Sport Council, the new regulations will enable a team to compete for a fraction of current budgets but nevertheless field cars which can match those of the established teams.
These regulations will not affect the established teams which now have stable backing from the major car manufacturers, but will enable new teams to fill the existing vacancies on the grid for 2010 and make it less likely that any team will be forced to leave the Championship.
The proposals will be submitted to the World Council on 17 March.
allenonf1.wordpress.com 
It looks IMPOSSIBLE that they can keep within that budget! 30 million?! It’s not going to happen. Anyhow just to inform people, Kovaleinen set a 1 min 18.2 today at Jerez, a big improvement but still 6 tenths of Button’s fastest lap yesterday.
I’d like to know what USGPE (formerly USF1) have to say about this, it’s difficult to say how small the amount actually is, and what the team would have funds to develop with the budget. As they’ve already set things in motion there would it be possible that they’re already committed to a higher budget?
Penske and Chip Gannassi’s IRL teams are reportedly spending $20 million to field two competitive cars in IRL, which is a six year old beaten to death chassis with a standard engine.
How the FIA expects an F1 team to field two new cars every season complete with development upgrades and be competitive with a $42 million budget, is beyond me!!
I am all for budget caps. I just think the number floated right now is unrealistic and silly. $40 million was what Minardi was allegedly spending back in 2003! Something in the region of $70 million seems more realistic and close to what Spyker spent in 2007 season.
“If adopted by the World Motor Sport Council, the new regulations will enable a team to compete for a fraction of current budgets but nevertheless field cars which can match those of the established teams.
These regulations will not affect the established teams which now have stable backing from the major car manufacturers, but will enable new teams to fill the existing vacancies on the grid for 2010 and make it less likely that any team will be forced to leave the Championship.”
Key words…
“If adopted”
“can match”
“will not affect the established teams which now have stable backing from the major car manufacturers”… so, if they will not affect them, they will not be racing wheel to wheel with a team on 10% of their budget ?
Ah ,panic over, they are there just to “fill existing vacancies on the grid” … hardly a threat to a manufacturer’s involvement now is it.
Oh, hang on, the new version from Max states the opposite and proposes a silly 30M budget that would barely run a GP2 team with a few dancing girls thrown in.
Not exactly vintage Max is it ? Clumsy, obvious and hurried and all at a crucial time strategically for his personal wars, oh and the sport he is also ruining.
Surely this is an attempt by Max to split FOTA along privateer / manufacturer lines?
Pretty telling of the FIA’s competence that they managed to issue a Press Release dated 29 February 2009.
I despair.