Ferrari has announced that it will 'reconsider its participation' in F1 if the FIA pushes through its proposal to make teams use a standard engine.
Ferrari is bitterly opposed to the plans, which the FIA claims will help to cut spiralling costs in F1.
In a statement issued after a board meeting the team said: "The Ferrari Board of Directors expressed strong concerns regarding plans to standardise engines, as it felt that such a move would detract from the entire raison of a sport with which Ferrari has been involved continuously since 1950, a raison d'etre based principally on competition and technological development...
"The Board of Directors expressed the opinion that should these key elements be diminished, it would have to re-evaluate, with its partners the viability of continuing its presence in the sport."
Toyota has also threatened to quit F1 if standard engines are introduced, but the FIA has already introduced a tender so that interested parties can bid to supply standard engines from 2010 to 2012.
Ferrari's decision has put it on course for a direct confrontation with the FIA and its president, Max Mosley.
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Re: Ferrari threatens to quit F1
Enzo used to throw his toys out of the pram on a regular basis and threaten to quit but if Ferrari did leave F1, Bernie would lose at least one viewer, me!
Re: Ferrari threatens to quit F1
Ferrari would like to think that it "is F1 and without them you may as well cancel the series" but I think F1 would be fascinating without them, personally.
They may well have had the best car this year but even with gifted points, this wasn't enough for their "best drivers" to bring the drivers title home. Correct me if I'm wrong, but were it not for the Belgium "result" Massa and Hamilton would have had an equal number of wins this season. It is also worth mentioning that Glock was on dry tyres, it was raining increasingly hard and that had he pitted for inters he would have been behind Hamilton and Vettel anyway.
F1 isn't supposed to be environmentally friendly. If the emissions of 22 cars over a season is really an issue we may as well find the 18 biggest hills in the world as have "Formula Soapbox". Sounds a bit like some of these threads...
Couldn't agree more about the Pious, though.
Re: Ferrari threatens to quit F1
Ferrari is F1, without them you may as well cancel the series. They have the best cars (Ferrari won the championship again this year, much to the delight of most real F1 fans) and the best drivers (Massa won the most races and was robbed of the Championship when Glock slowed up suddenly just before the end of the last race letting Hamilton through).
Why would anyone drive a Prius - they are ugly, overpriced and extremely damaging to the environment.