Ferrari issue Formula One quit threat

SERGIO Marchionne said Ferrari "cannot be put in a corner on its knees and say nothing" amid proposals to introduce cheaper engines.

Ferrari have warned Formula One bosses that the team has "no intention of racing" if new power unit regulations are introduced.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Jean Todt were last week given a mandate by the World Motorsport Council recommending they look into issues concerning governance, power units and cost reduction.

Ecclestone has spoken of his desire to see cheaper engines used by all teams, but Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne is not impressed with the proposals.

"Ferrari would find other ways to express its ability to race and to win," Motorsport.com quote the Ferrari president as saying.

"It would be a huge shame [if Ferrari turned their back on F1], but Ferrari cannot be put in a corner on its knees and say nothing.

"Now, the rules are written in a way that serves lawyers, who interpret them. In November 2014, it was clear that it would be possible to use tokens for power unit development – and this was something that, in a sense, saved Ferrari's season.

"But we need to simplify the rules and create more manageable regulations – where we should not be supported by lawyers, but by engineers, as it was a few years ago."

Marchionne said Ferrari and two of the Italian giants' big rivals are against Todt and Ecclestone being given the green light to make key changes in the sport.

"It's a choice that we obviously do not share, because we believe that the development of the regulations should be done in a coordinated manner," he added.

"This view is also shared by the Mercedes and Renault. Here we spend hundreds of millions of Euros, so we are talking about decisions that should not be taken lightly.

"The problem is that in trying to create a power unit that is more affordable for smaller teams, we are in a way taking away from those organisations that are able to develop. And that is the reason why we go racing.

"We go to the track to prove to ourselves and to everyone our ability to manage the power unit. If we begin to undermine this advantage, Ferrari has no intention of racing.

"If we make Formula One like NASCAR, we would lose the advantage of experience in track solutions, which can then have an impact on production.

"I understand very well the difficulties that smaller teams face, but this is something that FOM [Formula One Management] has to solve; it is not something Ferrari has to solve."