The two views on how the Formula One championship must develop during times of financial crisis officially clashed on May 12 when Ferrari threatened to leave the championship from next year. The core of the problem is how Formula One’s governing body FIA envisages the survival of small and independent teams in the world’s most expensive sport. 

According to FIA, their survivability can only be ensured by reining in the budgets of higher spending teams. FIA’s plan is to introduce a voluntary 45 million euro budget cap for teams from next season. There would appear to be some sense behind the idea. In order to stimulate teams to spend less, FIA promises to give teams operating within the budget more freedom when it comes to interpreting technical requirements. It will also give them a longer pre-season trial period.

Brawn GP could prove to be the main beneficiary of this plan given that its cars spent the least time on the track in this year’s pre-season phase and yet proved extremely good. Let’s not forget the row around Brawn GP’s diffusers. According to rival teams, among whome Ferrari, this occurred by Brawn GP freely interpreting FIA’s regulations.

Hence FIA’s plan for introducing the budget cap came as the last straw for legendary Italian team Ferrari who is having one of its worst, if not the worst, season ever. Now that even Felipe Massa has admitted that his team’s title chances are lost, Ferrari has nothing left but to concentrate on producing the best car next year. This costs money especially since Ferrari has always tried to maintain the image of a team using cutting edge technology.

That’s why it was scarcely a surprise that they viewed FIA’s idea as a ruling that would herald double standards in the sport. "If the regulations decided for 2010 do not change, Ferrari does not intend to enter its cars in the next Formula One world championship," the team said in a May 12 statement. Former team boss Eddie Jordan told the BBC "maybe this isn’t the posturing that most people think it is - I wouldn’t be certain that they wouldn’t carry this out.

So far Ferrari can count on the support of Toyota, BMW Sauber and Red Bull, teams that have already pledged to leave the championship unless the new rules are revoked.  
All will be clear on May 29, the deadline for teams to register their cars for next season. As Jordan told the BBC: "Everyone concerned would be very silly not to put 100 per cent of their time, effort and diligence into making sure there is compatibility between the sport, the governing body and Ferrari."