Ferrari’s threat to quit Formula One if a standard engine is introduced has been played down by the FIA.
The FIA claims it is up to the teams and not the sport’s governing body to come up with ideas to cut costs in F1.
In a statement the FIA said: “The FIA has noted the press statement issued by the Ferrari board of directors.
“The FIA is delighted by Ferrari’s financial success and hopes this will be maintained. However a number of teams find themselves facing costs which greatly exceed income. This is not sustainable.
“It is now for the manufacturers to agree one of the three FIA options or themselves produce concrete proposals to reduce costs to a sustainable level.
Ferrari said on “it had major reservations” over the cost-cutting proposals planned for 2010 and said it would evaluate its commitment to formula one if they went ahead, sentiments echoed by Toyota and believed to be shared by the other manufacturers, Mercedes, Honda, Renault and BMW.
The governing body said, “It seems the Ferrari board were misinformed. The FIA has offered the teams three options, one of which is the so-called standard engine and another that the manufacturers should jointly guarantee to supply power trains to the independent teams for less than €5m per season.
Although clearly hoping that the teams can come up with a proposal that satisfies it, the FIA has made it clear it will take whatever action is necessary to ensure the survival of all teams - even if it means a standard engine. The exchange between the governing body and the sport’s most famous competitor is likely to prove nothing more than muscle flexing in preparation for sorting out a compromise which will see the FIA’s cost-cutting requirements leaving a degree of flexibility that will enable the leading teams to retain a worthwhile technical challenge.
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