Ferrari: no change to Red Bull deal

The Milton Keynes-based team have a contract to run Ferrari customer engines until the end of 2007, but autosport.com understands that parent company Red Bull want to move that deal across to their second team Scuderia Toro Rosso, replacing it with Renault.

Red Bull have held talks with Ferrari about the situation, and sources claim that there is clear resistance from the Italian manufacturer about the move - especially because it would entail the team swapping over to Ferrari's main championship rival.

Ferrari sporting director Jean Todt made it clear on Sunday that he was not supportive of any plans to shift the contract across to Scuderia Toro Rosso.

"If we have a contract we normally try to respect our contracts, so we intend everybody to have the same attitude," he said. "Unless there is clear evidence, which would really put us in a position to change something and honestly I don't see it now, we are intending to fulfil our contract.

"We will supply them the engine for next year, unless they don't want the engine, but it's not something we are aware of at the moment."

Todt confirmed that Red Bull representatives had spoken to him about the situation, but said he had not had a confirmation that they definitely wanted out of the second year of their Ferrari deal.

"It's something we have discussed and it's something at the moment we are not going to fulfil their wish, if there is this wish confirmed," he said. "Red Bull is a very big company with a lot of people involved, so let's say the people with whom I dealt with for the contract seemed to be very happy with the agreement."

There have been suggestions that Red Bull Racing may try and work their way out of the Ferrari deal for 2007 by claiming the contract is with their parent company Red Bull rather than the team.

That would in theory allow them to shift the supply to Toro Rosso without breaking the contract.

The more likely scenario is, however, of Red Bull Racing taking Felipe Massa next season in exchange for Ferrari allowing the deal to be swapped.

Massa could find himself without a drive in 2007 if Kimi Raikkonen and Michael Schumacher end up alongside each other at Ferrari. The Brazilian is managed by Todt's son Nicolas, and he has had his career overseen by Jean Todt for several years.