The FIA is contemplating a penalty in the wake of Toyota's decision to
withdraw immediately from Formula One.
The Cologne based team had only recently signed the 2010-2012 Concorde
Agreement, a tripartite contract binding F1's competitors with its
commercial and regulatory bodies.
Toyota's exit means theoretically that Sauber/Qadbak can take its official
spot on the 2010 grid, but this is yet to be confirmed officially by the
Paris based FIA.
Specialist publications Auto Motor und Sport (Germany) and Blick
(Switzerland) believe the confirmation is pending a decision about a
penalty for Toyota's contract breach.
Blick mentioned a figure of 20 million Swiss francs for each of the
contracted 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons not contested by Toyota, amounting
to nearly $60m.
Auto Motor und Sport said a resolution will take at least another week,
during which time Sauber cannot contract drivers or sign sponsors.
The money of the Qadbak consortium, meanwhile, will reportedly not flow
until Sauber is officially granted a 2010 entry.
