More uncertainty is clouding the future of more than 500 workers at the Oxfordshire base of the Renault F1 team.

Top bosses at the Enstone-based team were last night putting out conflicting signals as rumours continued to circulate that it may quit Formula One following a board meeting in Paris.

Chief executive Carlos Ghosn refused to confirm whether the French carmaker will stay in Formula One in 2010.

He said: "We will announce our strategy in terms of Renault's role in Formula One before the year's end. It's not very far away, it's in a few weeks.”

But Renault F1 managing director Jean-Francois Caubet told French sports newspaper L'Equipe: "We have already contracted our drivers, had our budget approved and are enrolled in the world championship. Season 2010 has begun already."

The confusion follows a controversial season for the team which has endured its worst performance for years on the track, while away from the grid it has been embroiled in scandal.

In September it emerged driver Nelson Piquet Jnr was deliberately ordered to crash his car in last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

Flavio Briatore lost his job as team principal and the team was handed a ban which was suspended for two years by governing body the FIA.

Key sponsors, Dutch bank ING and Spanish insurance firm Mutua Madrilena, have also withdrawn, while star driver Fernando Alonso has signed for Ferrari for next season, although Robert Kubica has been recruited.

Formula One has also been rocked by the withdrawal of the Toyota team this week which followed another major manufacturer, BMW, out of the sport.

Tyre maker Bridgestone will also follow suit after the 2010 season.