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Stoddart fires Ferrari warning

Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, one of the key figures behind recent moves to try and get cost-cutting moves agreed amongst Formula 1 teams, has warned those outfits aiming to reject the proposals that they may find themselves marginalised over future rule changes.

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With autosport.com revealing on Saturday that BAR is poised to join Ferrari in turning its back on a limit of 30 days testing during the season, Stoddart has gone on the offensive and claimed that the eight teams remaining in unison could still become a strong enough force to ram home major changes for 2006.

Speaking exclusively to autosport.com, Stoddart said: "You will never get teams like BAR in a position to win the championship until we are all together.

"We have never been anything this close to making change and although we might not be able to make these rules stick for 2005, because we need unanimity, by god you are watching the 2006 regulations in the making.

"I promise you this, if Ferrari hold out on this then there will be quarter given for the 2006 regulations. It will be a very sad day if BAR joins Ferrari against the rest of the teams, because then it will be eight votes against two - and those votes will be worth nothing."

Stoddart is confident that if every other team apart from BAR and Ferrari stick together, then it will become enough of a voting force to effect changes through the Technical Working Group and the Formula 1 Commission.

He added: "We believe we have control of the F1 commission and, if someone is not going to join us like Ferrari then we cannot force them - but in any walk of life a 90 percent majority is an overwhelming majority to make change."

The teams are due to meet with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone in London on January 25 to try and reach an accord on making much needed cost-cutting changes to the sport, as well as discuss the problems with the current qualifying proposal.

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