Mosley against the wall: Ferrari intends to take legal action

Is the war between the FIA and the Formula 1 teams over the budget cap starting next season reaching its climax?

Apparently yes, as following the meeting yesterday between the FIA and FOTA at London’s Heathrow Airport, the President of the Federation Max Mosley explained that there would be no compromise from the FIA side, as we mentioned in a previous article. The Briton also announced that Ferrari was on the verge of filing a lawsuit against the FIA in a French court due to the decisions made by the said Federation.

During the meeting, we learned that Ferrari had already contacted a court of justice to oppose what we want, stated Mosley. The different parties present at this meeting did not reach an agreement.

Mosley, however, left a very small door ajar: Formula 1 teams want to shift the idea of budget capping to secure their future in the premier discipline of motorsports. A rapprochement is nevertheless possible. « We are ready to listen to what they have to tell us,” specified the FIA president after the discussions.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday, Ferrari and Renault had threatened to leave F1 if the FIA’s budget decisions were upheld. The BMW, Toyota, and Red Bull teams had already taken the leap. According to Bernie Ecclestone, Ferrari is the key to the discussions: « They have been there for 60 years, we are partners and the needs of our partner are important to us ».

Piero Ferrari, the only surviving son of the legendary Enzo Ferrari, made a comparison with football to criticize Max Mosley’s decisions: « Inter Milan spends colossal sums to acquire players and wins everything, Calcio Catania is a poor club and wins nothing. If the FIA had decided for football what it decided for F1, then the Calcio Catania club could play with 12 players and Inter Milan with only 9, it’s completely ridiculous ».

We are therefore likely to hear more about this case, as this chapter of the 2009 season is far from over.