Teams reject Ferrari proposals

Ferrari handed its own set of testing proposals to F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone rather than attend the meeting. Included in the proposals was a limit of 15,000 kilometres of testing per team at a nominated track with a further 15,000kms permitted for tyre suppliers Bridgestone and Michelin to conduct their own testing split between their teams (Click HERE for separate story).

However, the teams viewed Ferrari's proposals as "not terribly fair" and have decided to press ahead with their own plans that have been discussed in the last three meetings without Ferrari.

This means teams will stick to their original proposal of a limited 24 days of testing during the season unless there is a last minute change of heart from Ferrari to sign up to the proposal put forward in Brazil which limited testing to 10 days during the season with four hours of practice on a Friday.

Teams also agreed to meet in early January to discuss proposals to limit Formula 1 to a single tyre supplier from 2006. Although this date goes beyond the December 31 deadline previously talked about to give the tyre manufacturers 12 months notice about a change in their supply terms, the nine teams present felt that both Bridgestone and Michelin had been given enough warning already about the plan and that legally if a decision was made in early January to go to a control tyre then the two companies would have to accept.

One team boss said: "It was only a moral obligation to give them more than 12 months warning, legally they would have a hard time arguing that any decision made next January is unfair."

Minardi team boss Paul Stoddart added: "It was a very encouraging meeting. We've had three meetings on the trot now where we have achieved out target and we're working solidly to reducing costs in F1. It is saddening, however, that in those three meetings we have not seen Ferrari and we would rather they were on the inside than on the outside. We would rather have them with us."