London  - There is a deep sense of unease among the larger Formula One teams following the proposal by motorsport's ruling body FIA to introduce a budget cap in 2010 and have a winner takes all points system for the drivers' championship this season.

At a meeting of its World Council in Paris Tuesday, FIA rejected the Formula One Team Association's (FOTA) recommendations to increase the number of points for a win from 10 to 12 and instead plumped for a system where the driver with the most wins takes the title.

Perhaps even more controversially, FIA said it intended introducing a voluntary budget cap of 30-million pounds (42 million dollars) per team in 2010.

Although the cap is meant to be voluntary, under the new regulations teams that adhere to it will be granted complete freedom to design their cars and to use unrestricted engines.

Some in F1 believe the introduction of such a system could lead to the development of a two-tier F1, and possibly destroy the unprecedented degree of unity among teams in recent months.

"FOTA would like to express its disappointment and concern at the fact that these (decisions) have been taken in a unilateral manner," Luca di Montezemolo, the president of Ferrari and chairman of FOTA said.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, meanwhile, said he believed that most teams, would be happy with the new deal.

"What team can afford not to accept the new proposal?" he said.

The new cap is most likely to hit the big spending teams like Ferrari and McLaren-Mercedes, a result that doesn't seem to upset FIA president Max Mosley.

"The cars will be much less refined in detail, because teams will not be able to spend huge sums on minute advantages - for example, 1,200 dollars on a wheel nut which is only used once - but from the grandstand or on television they won't look or sound any less 'Formula One' than the current, ultra-expensive cars," he said.

Mosley is also confident the FIA will be able to prevent teams from taking advantage of any unforeseen loopholes.

"We will have a catch-all clause for the cost-capped teams enabling us to stop anything which goes against the spirit of the cost cap and allow us to rule definitively on any unforeseen problem," he said (dpa)