29 Oct 2008

FIA allay Ferrari's fears over engine move

2:29 pm on 29 October 2008

Formula One's ruling body has moved to allay Ferrari's fears that standardised engines will be imposed for the 2010 season.

The Ferrari board threatened on Monday to pull out of the sport if that happened.

But the FIA says the it has offered three options, one of which is the so-called standard engine.

Another would involve manufacturers jointly guaranteeing to supply engines and transmission to independent teams for under 5 million euros a season.

The FIA says Ferrari deserves its commercial success but the poorer teams need help if the championship is to continue as it is now.

It says the manufacturers need to agree one of the three options or produce their own proposals to reduce costs to a sustainable level.