Big Three reject F1 handicapping

Montezemolo added: "There's a Commission decide on these matters and I hope they make an agreement which is within the spirit of the rules. You can't simply handicap the best car and the best team because they're winning."

"Ferrari have done a fantastic job and we and Williams have under-performed. It's up to us to put that right," said Whitmarsh.

"I find the suggestion of adding ballast to anyone's car rather distasteful," Head told The Sun. "Does that mean Arsenal have to field nine men when they play Chelsea, or Pete Sampras has two strings cut from his racket when he meets Tim Henman? The idea of handicapping has been mooted on and off over the years. It would certainly change the face of F1, but I'm not sure it would make it better or more entertaining. It's a knee-jerk reaction because Ferrari have been so dominant. But it's up to other teams to not only catch them but to overtake them. That's something we feel we are more than capable of doing. People at the back of the grid or with lower budgets will probably be in favour of it.

"If the ballast only applied to Michael Schumacher, I'd be all for it!"