Manufacturers Ferrari and Toyota warned they could quit Formula One if the sport's governing body continues with its plans to reduce costs, according to UK press reports.
The Guardian newspaper reports that the Italian team sent a firm signal to the FIA president, Max Mosley, that his idea of introducing so-called standard engines into the sport would take away their raison d'être for competing in motor racing.
In a statement to the press, Ferrari said that whilst they "fully agreed with the need for a substantial and necessary reduction of costs", they maintained "major reservations" over any proposals that would lead to teams using the same engines. "It would deprive formula one of its whole reason for existing, which is based on competition and technological development” the statement continued. “If these elements were to become obsolete, our administrative council [board] reserves the right, after consultation with its partners, to evaluate whether we remain committed to the discipline [of formula one]."
Ferrari have been historically closely aligned with the FIA and the sport's commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, are one of the few Formula One teams who have, in the past, successfully forced the governing body to back down from rule changes with which they disapproved, forcing the FIA to abandon plans to ban V12 engines in favour of V10s in 1986.
Toyota Motorsport president John Howett supported Ferrari's demand for different engines for the teams. "I don't think any of the manufacturers want a homogenised engine," said Howett. He added that any decision would be taken by the board in Japan, “but they want a degree of differentiation between teams."
