Ferrari unmoved on testing cuts

The world champion outfit has been absent from recent team bosses' meetings where moves have been made to cut back on testing as part of cost-cutting measures - and proposals put forward by the Maranello-based team were rejected outright earlier this month.

But rather than making moves to come back to the table for discussions, di Montezemolo has indicated that the company is adamant that a reduction in testing will achieve little - and that the real way to cut costs in the sport will be through limiting technology.

Speaking to German newspaper Welt Am Sonntag on Sunday, di Montezemolo said: "I do not support strange resolutions, for instance by limiting testing.

"Imagine if in football Juventus, Bayern Munich or Manchester United were only allowed to train in the morning or only on Wednesdays. That would be stupid manipulation. If I want to test with my team for five days a week then that is my problem."

And Di Montezemolo was swift to hit back at the argument that such a level of testing would cost a huge amount of money.

"It is my money," he responded. "Even if I throw it from the window, I can do what I want with it. The topic of saving is important, but internal decisions must remain unaffected. How much should I pay my driver? How much should I train with my crew? Perhaps I am to decide that we have no American drivers because the dollar rate is too high?"

Di Montezemolo added that he believed the best way to save money in the sport would be to reduce the minimum weight of cars, thereby reducing the need for expensive ballast, and to get rid of a host of high-tech electronic systems.

He also supported the move by FIA president Max Mosley to introduce two-race engines for 2005 as part of a crusade to cut speeds. "I find it good," he said. "It is still a technical challenge and at the same time has fewer costs because one needs to develop fewer engines."