F1 rebels ready to oust Max Mosley in power struggle

"I think a lot of people are kind of fed up with the dictatorial attitude. The teams have realised they can manage their own side of their business, thank you very much.

"Bernie Ecclestone must play a part in this. He has to influence Max Mosley on how he goes about his business. He's perhaps been doing it with an imperial air for too long. The teams, now, don't have to do anything. They've made their decision. It's up to the FIA now."

FOTA, made up of Ferrari, Brawn, McLaren, Renault, BMW-Sauber, Toyota, Toro Rosso and Red Bull, are insisting that Mosley's plans for a £40million budget cap should be ditched. Sources within the group also suggest they want guarantees that Ecclestone will stop selling races to the highest bidder, betraying some of the sports major sponsors who say they are being forced to visit parts of the world where there is limited interest in their products.

Unless that is addressed, there is concern that sponsors will pull out of the sport, which will then struggle to survive. There is also concern that Ecclestone's global expansion plans, taking in new races in the Middle East, the Far East and Asia, are going ahead at the cost of traditional grands prix, expecially in western Europe, which have huge fan bases.

The official attendance for the Turkish Grand Prix a fortnight ago was said to be 20,000, which in itself is dismal.

But it is now believed that figure has been exaggerated and that the true number of tickets sold was closer to 7,000.

FOTA wants to maintain a presence at circuits where there is genuine enthusiasm for the sport.

Organisers of the British Grand Prix are expecting a three-day attendance at Silverstone of 250,000.

But it could be the last world championship race in this country if an Ecclestone-backed move to Donington Park next summer falls through.

Yet far from signalling he was prepared to bow to FOTA demands, Mosley authorised a new, strongly-worded statement this afternoon which noted: "The FIA's lawyers have now examined the FOTA threat to begin a breakaway series.

"The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractural relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law.

"The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay.

"Preparations for the 2010 FIA Formula One World Championship continue but publication of the final 2010 entry list will be put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights."