Those sentiments were echoed by BBC F1 pundit and former team owner Eddie Jordan, who hinted that whilst he believes FOTA's stance is just more 'posturing', 'it has become very serious – and heads will roll before this sorts itself out'. The Irishman underlined that there is 'absolutely not a chance' of two rival series' running in competition with each other in 2010.

Mosley's long-time friend, ally and business associate Bernie Ecclestone, for his part, also seemed to ramp up the pressure on the FIA President, telling the BBC that he hadn't seen or thought about FOTA's statement, 'doesn't worry about anything' and 'doesn't know what the problem is', suggesting that anyone seeking answers should 'speak to Max'.

The governing body, though, still shows no signs of softening its position or making any further concessions, revealing that it was 'disappointed but not surprised' by FOTA's bombshell and criticising 'elements [who] have sought this outcome throughout the prolonged period of negotiation and have not engaged in the discussions in good faith' [see separate story – click here]. The deadline for altering conditional entries, it re-iterated, remains this evening, with a final official entry list to be published on Saturday.

Brawn GP CEO Nick Fry argued that that 'the ball is in Max Mosley's court' now, a view shared by Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, who claimed that the teams had no alternative but to do what they have done.

“It's really now in the hands of the FIA,” mused the Englishman, in an interview with BBC Sport. “The positions have hardened on both sides. The teams feel they have gone as far as they can and the FIA feel they have gone as far as they can – and we've ended up in a situation where a solution hasn't been found. Perhaps being the eternal optimist, never say never – but the teams feel they've gone a long, long way.

“Obviously a great deal of thought and deliberation has gone into the statement, and it is a shame. Formula 1 is one of the most popular sports in the world, and I think we all have a duty to protect and look after that, not just for the fans but for the employees that we represent – but unfortunately the two parties are just too far apart.

“We've no alternative but to launch a breakaway, because we can't race in F1 under the current rules. If you want to keep competing, then you've got to look at something else. It's unfortunate that we've found ourselves in this situation.

“I think we've made clear [what it would take to re-initiate negotiations], and we've tried and we've made efforts to try and find a solution, but unfortunately that hasn't been achieved in the timeframe.”

Another intriguing twist to the ongoing saga is the potential for a legal battle ahead, with Mosley adamant that Ferrari, Red Bull and Scuderia Toro Rosso – all of whom have pledged their allegiance to FOTA and the breakaway championship – are contractually-bound to F1 by the terms of existing agreements. Former RBR star David Coulthard, however, argues that it is just another episode in the prevalent politics that are as much a key element of the top flight as is the racing.

“I think this is just another part of the challenge of Formula 1,” the Scot reckoned. “We tend to think of it as just being the driver/car challenge on-track, but it's always been about business manoeuvrings off-track as well. What we're seeing here is the ultimate manoeuvring, the ultimate game of chess between the governing body and the teams.