Grapevine: Ferrari Voted Team of the Year

Formula One champions Ferrari have beaten off the French Davis Cup-winning tennis team and Gerard Houllier's Liverpool to top a readers' poll in L'Equipe newspaper for world team of the year.

Ferrari, with Frenchman Jean Todt as their sporting director, secured 27.8 percent of the vote, compared to 18.8 for the tennis team and 16.9 for Liverpool in the voting published on Thursday. European club champions Bayern Munich managed only fifth place with 9.1 percent, behind the French handball team on 13.7.

Todt, describing himself as the conductor of the orchestra, said he had wondered a year and a half ago whether to stay at Ferrari when he thought he had fulfilled his mission at the Italian team. But he added he had decided to stay until the end of 2004 to lay the groundwork for the future.

Ferrari have won the Formula One Constructors' title for the past three seasons and, with Michael Schumacher, the Drivers' Championship for the past two. Schumacher's drivers' title in 2000 was Ferrari's first in 21 years. This year, the German broke a series of records to retain the title with four races to spare.

The French men's tennis team clinched the Davis Cup with a stunning 3-2 triumph over Australia in the Melbourne final earlier this month. English premier league football side Liverpool won three trophies during 2001 - the Worthington Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup.