F1: Ferrari Lodges Injunction To Stop Budget Cap

The standoff between Ferrari and the FIA has intensified after the Italian outfit lodged an injunction in the French courts to stop the planned introduction of a budget cap for next season.

Ferrari claims the decision to hasten through the new regulations last month breaches an agreement signed in 2005 handing the Scuderia power to veto any rule changes until 2012.

This development comes after the latest round of emergency talks between the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) and the FIA failed to yield a compromise agreement ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix.

With the 2010 entry deadline fast approaching, FOTA is under pressure to develop a viable alternative to the cost-cutting measures set to be imposed by the FIA.

But Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali believes the teams are closing in on a proposal that will satisfy FIA President Max Mosley and bring an end to the crisis.

"I think that the meeting shows that on one side there is a very united group of teams that were discussing with the president of the FIA about the future, and above all this regulation. That is what I can say," he said to Autosport.

“I think that, as we said, it is a work in progress. We are working hard to find a solution and I think today with the teams we showed our unity, with a different perspective but it was important to reiterate our concept.”

Meanwhile, Ferrari Board Member Piero Ferrari has declared the Maranello-based manufacturer is willing to carry out its threat and return to sportscar racing unless the FIA changes the 2010 regulations.

The son of company founder Enzo Ferrari, the 63-year old emphasised Ferrari is not simply engaging in a “war of press releases” and has given real consideration to the prospect of returning to Le Mans.

"I strongly believe that if you look at the past of Ferrari, today's image is born from victories in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and sports and GT racing," he told the Guardian.

"We cannot forget our beginnings, and the passion of my father is still in the company. But we want racing with clear rules and starting from the same point."