An injunction sought by Ferrari to prevent Formula One's governing body from introducing a budget cap next season will be decided in a French court tonight.
Champions Ferrari went to the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris to try and stop the International Automobile Federation (FIA) from pressing ahead with the optional 100 million dollar cap.
The sport's most successful and glamorous team have threatened to quit Formula One if the published rules are not re-written. Renault, Toyota and Red Bull's two teams have taken a similar stance.
Emmanuel Gaillard, one of three Ferrari lawyers present at the hearing, says the Italian team will be excessively penalised if they were to refuse the budget cap.
FIA lawyer Hughes Calvet says Formula One had to take action in the face of the global financial crisis that has already seen Honda depart before the start of this season.
The published 2010 regulations propose allowing teams greater technical freedom if they accept the cap than those wishing to stay with unlimited budgets.
While Ferrari have said this would make it a two-tier championship that they cannot accept, both Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and FIA president Max Mosley have subsequently said they expect all teams to race to one set of regulations.
