A French court on Wednesday dismissed Ferrari’s bid to stop Formula One from instituting a budget cap next season, and the Italian team reiterated its threat to pull out of the 2010 championship.
Ferrari sought a court injunction against governing body FIA’s plans to introduce a voluntary US$60 million cap for racing teams, but the appeal was rejected by Judge Jacques Gondrand de Robert.
“There is no imminent damage that needs to be prevented or clearly unlawful unrest that needs to be stopped,” the judge said.
PHOTO: AFP
Ferrari, Renault, Toyota, Red Bull and Toro Rosso have said they could withdraw from next year’s championship if the cap is not overturned.
The judge accepted Ferrari’s legal right to challenge the plans but agreed with the FIA that the team should have taken its case earlier to the World Motor Sport Council.
“No competitor should place their interests above those of the sport in which they compete,” FIA president Max Mosley said after the ruling. “The FIA, the teams and our commercial partners will now continue to work to ensure the well-being of Formula One in 2010 and beyond.”
Ferrari said it hadn’t decided whether to continue with legal action, adding it wants to ensure that “Formula 1 is a series where the rules are the same for everyone” and where cost cuts are “gradual.”
“Ferrari will not enter its cars in a competition that, with the planned scenario in place, would see a watering down of the characteristics that have endowed Formula 1,” Ferrari said in a statement.
The team hinted it would consider competing in a breakaway series.
“In this situation, Ferrari will continue to compete in races of a caliber worthy of the marquee, matching its level of innovation and technological research,” the team said.
The deadline for entering next year’s championship is May 29, giving disgruntled teams little more than a week to find an alternate solution.
Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen said he expects the team will leave F1 if things don’t improve.
“I am pretty sure we are going to disappear from Formula One,” the 2007 world champion said. “Definitely for me it’s not good for Formula One to have these kind of things going on.”
Teammate Felipe Massa said the dispute was frustrating for racers, who are preparing in Monaco for Sunday’s Grand Prix.
“For sure that doesn’t help the sport,” the Brazilian said. “This fight means many people are going to be upset. The only thing is it would be nice to have more sport and less political [fighting]. I hope things [are] going to be OK.”
■MONACO GP
AP, MONACO
Brawn GP’s Rubens Barrichello was fastest yesterday at the Monaco Grand Prix’s opening practice session, with Ferrari and McLaren joining Formula One’s surprise team at the top of the timesheet.
Barrichello set a fastest lap time of 1 minute, 17.189 seconds to lead Ferrari’s Felipe Massa by just more than three-tenths of a second.
Lewis Hamilton, who won in Monaco last year, was third with a best lap of 1:17.578 ahead of teammate Heikki Kovalainen. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen completed the top-five, finishing 0.839 back of Barrichello.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen go into today’s match at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim stung from their first league defeat in 16 months. Leverkusen were beaten 3-2 at home by RB Leipzig before the international break, the first loss since May last year for the reigning league and cup champions. While any defeat, particularly against a likely title rival, would have disappointed coach Xabi Alonso, the way in which it happened would be most concerning. Just as they did in the Supercup against VfB Stuttgart and in the league opener to Borussia Moenchengladbach, Leverkusen scored first, but were pegged back. However, while Leverkusen rallied late to
The lights dimmed and the crowd hushed as Karoline Kristensen entered for her performance. However, this was no ordinary Dutch theater: The temperature was 80°C and the audience naked apart from a towel. Dressed in a swimsuit and to the tune of emotional music, the 21-year-old Kristensen started her routine, performed inside a large sauna, with a bed of hot rocks in the middle. For a week this month, a group of wellness practitioners, called “sauna masters,” are gathering at a picturesque health resort in the Netherlands to compete in this year’s Aufguss world sauna championships. The practice takes its name from a
Japanese players are moving to English soccer in record numbers and more look set to follow with clubs attracted by their quality, strong work ethic and value for money. Kaoru Mitoma is the standout talent of five Japanese players in the English Premier League, with eight more in the Championship and two in League One. Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo, the captain of Japan, believes his compatriots are “being held in higher esteem” by English clubs compared with the past. “The staff at Liverpool ask me about lots of Japanese players, not necessarily with a view to a transfer, but just saying this or
Taiwan yesterday survived Bosnia and Herzegovina to win their Davis Cup World Group I tie at the Taipei Tennis Center. The tight series started on Saturday with world No. 123 Jason Tseng losing 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to Mirza Basic in the opening singles matchup. However, teammate Tony Wu kept the tie even, dominating world No. 86 Damir Dzumhur 6-2, 6-1. Yesterday, 24-year-old Ray Ho and partner 25-year-old Hsu Yu-hsiou kept up the momentum, making short work of Basic and Nerman Fatic, winning 6-3, 6-4. Tseng then suffered another defeat, losing 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 to Dzumhur in a brutal match that lasted more than two