Dave Richards has made it clear he will not be entering Formula One next season "just to make up the numbers".

The chairman of Aston Martin, one of the most iconic brand names in motoring, is considering a return to the sport providing it is commercially viable and there is the potential to be competitive.

Motor sport's world governing body, the FIA, are poised to confirm at the next meeting of the World Council on April 29 that a budget cap will come into force for next year.

FIA president Max Mosley has proposed a £30million figure, although this week has consulted the teams on whether such a sum is viable, which could see the bar raised.

Former BAR team principal Richards, who came close to a comeback with his Prodrive organisation last year, is "ready to press the go button" on a new entry.

"We are very serious about entering Formula One in 2010," confirmed Richards.

"On the commercial side we would want a situation where the budget you would need to be competitive would be sensible, especially given the challenging economic conditions we face today.

"And we would expect to see a reasonable return on our investment in the longer term.

"We would also want the rules to be such they provide the potential for us to be fully competitive. We would not want to be in Formula One just to make up the numbers.

"The initial signs coming from the FIA and FOM are very attractive and represent the basis for a real revolution in the sport.

"They hold the promise to return F1 to its fundamental ethos, where success comes to those with the most ingenious engineering and best organisation, not simply those with the biggest budget.

"We are therefore very optimistic, but let's wait and see what the final proposals look like when they are published next week.

"However, we are greatly assisted by the extensive preparation work we undertook in 2007 in developing our previous Prodrive Formula One project.

"As a result of this we have a big head start and the project, as well as many of the key personnel, are ready to be switched back on."

Richards would use Prodrive's Banbury headquarters as a base, but whether the team would carry the Aston Martin name remains to be seen.

"It is too early to say at this stage as there are a number of different routes we could go," added Richards.

"There are many discussions to be had in the coming weeks once the regulations have been published. We will then make a decision."

The budget cap, though, has raised considerable interest, with the suggestion that as many as eight interested parties - Cosworth and Lola two others - are chasing up to three entries on the grid next season.

Richards, who is currently in discussion with a number of engine manufacturers regarding a drivetrain supply, is confident his bid has the credentials to be successful.

"I am not aware of all the possible entrants and clearly the final decision will be down to the FIA and the World Motor Sport Council," added Richards.

"What I can say is that we have a strong track record in all the motorsport formula we have been involved with, including Formula One.

"We have also planned our potential entry into F1 meticulously, and should we proceed and our entry be successful, we would be totally committed to F1 and making the new team a success on and off the track."

Despite failing to get Prodrive up and running, Richards has not lost any of his enthusiasm.

"It is a statement of fact Prodrive had made extensive preparations in 2007 and was ready to enter the championship in 2008," he said.

"But then the goal posts literally changed overnight which prevented us from entering Formula One.

"This experience makes you somewhat cautious, but the circumstances are very different today.

"We are optimistic the new technical and cost-capping regulations will be approved by the FIA next week and create the right conditions for us to enter Formula One as a constructor this time."