Formula One drivers will pay less for their racing licences next year after meeting the sport's governing body to settle grievances before the first race of the season.

The International Automobile Federation said yesterday, three days before first practice at the Australian Grand Prix, that representatives of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association (GPDA) had a "very positive" meeting with FIA president Max Mosley.

It said a proposal would now be put to the FIA's World Motor Sport Council to revise fees for drivers entering the 2010 championship.

"A reduced fee would reflect the major cost reductions that will be brought into the sport for next season," the FIA statement added.

A part of those reductions is an optional 30 million pound ($43.75 million) budget cap for teams in exchange for greater technical freedom.

Driver salaries would be affected since they would be included in any cap.

The GPDA had accused the FIA earlier this year of using them as a revenue stream to fill holes in the budget by charging some drivers hundreds of thousands of dollars for the mandatory super-licence.

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton, who is not a GPDA member, will have to pay some $270,000 for his licence this year under the points-based system. His earnings are estimated to be in the tens of millions.

The licence dispute first reared its head last year when the FIA increased the cost of the basic licence from 1,690 euros ($2,306) to 10,000 euros with drivers having to pay a further 2,000 per point scored in the previous season compared to 447 in 2007.

This year's charges will increase in line with inflation as planned.