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F1: FIA hits back after Ferrari quit threat

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Khatir Soltani
From GMM

The Fédération internationale de l'automobile has hit back at Ferrari's warning that the imposition of a standard engine formula could lead to its withdrawal from Grand Prix racing.

"It seems the Ferrari board were misinformed," said a statement issued by the Paris based body.

"The FIA has offered the teams three options, one of which is the so-called standard engine, and another that the manufacturers should jointly guarantee to supply power trains to the independent teams for less than E5m per season.

"The FIA is delighted by Ferrari's financial success and hopes this will be maintained. However a number of teams find themselves facing costs, which greatly exceed income. This is not sustainable.

"It is now for the manufacturers to agree one of the three FIA options or themselves produce concrete proposals to reduce costs to a sustainable level."

"If neither happens, the FIA will take whatever measures prove necessary to preserve a credible world championship for both drivers and constructors."

Earlier this week, Renault boss Flavio Briatore suggested teams will indeed go down an alternate route to standard engines.

BMW-Sauber team principal Mario Theissen told the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Tuesday: "We don't expect the standard engine to come after the talks held so far."
Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
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