Grapevine: Ferrari Prepare to Fight Back

Ferrari have yet to make any official comment on the cost-cutting proposal signed by their nine rival teams yesterday at Interlagos, but initial reports suggest the Italian squad are preparing to go to war over their honour.

The team's sporting director Jean Todt is expected to meet the press today, after the Brazilian Grand Prix. But sources at the team have already suggested the purpose of yesterday's "revolt" against Ferrari was primarily to humiliate the Maranello-based outfit and undermine their unprecedented on-track achievements.

Nine of the ten Formula One teams agreed in a meeting yesterday on changes for the 2005 season, which include a cut down of private testing during the season to only ten days; a change to the Grand Prix weekend schedule that will see Friday dedicated to testing; and a call to the tyre manufacturers to eliminate most, if not all of the need for tyre testing.

But Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport reports today that Ferrari were not invited to yesterday's meeting and were asked to add their signature to the proposal only after the document was already given to the press. Furthermore, according to the newspaper, Ferrari felt they were never given the opportunity to present their arguments for or against these changes.

Ferrari's primary argument against the proposal is Bridgestone, the newspaper reports. The Italian team believe the proposals are damaging to their Japanese partner, who will now have to discard the vast investments they have made in their collaboration with Ferrari.

Ferrari further believe that cost cutting can be achieved in other ways - for example, not spending money on lavish new factories or motorhomes, the newspaper writes, alluding to McLaren's gigantic communications centre and new Paragon facilities.

Gazzetta dello Sport is arguably the publication with the most access to the World Champions, and today's report offers, perhaps, an idea of what awaits the Formula One fraternity: Jean Todt and Ferrari are going to fight back.

And it's not going to be pretty.