06/04/2005
NEWS STORY
The nine 'rebel' teams could miss a second successive meeting with FIA President Max Mosley later this month.
The meeting, scheduled for Friday 15 April, would have seen the nine teams meet with Mosley, and Ferrari, but spokesman for the nine, Minardi boss Paul Stoddart, has warned that the 'naughty nine' could give the meeting a miss.
"The meeting with Mosley I suspect won't be attended," the Australian told Reuters. "It will be tea and biscuits with Todt again I expect. I might be wrong."
The nine teams will meet in London beforehand to discuss the matter: "It will be all about moving further forward with the four working groups," said Stoddart, "taking the 2008 regulations to the next stage and laying down a proper road map of times and dates and objectives."
One of the key differences between Ferrari and its rivals, other than its decision to abandon the GPWC and stick with Bernie Ecclestone, is the issue of testing, and the Italian team's refusal to agree to the 30-day limit agreed to by the nine.
Stoddart revealed that the nine teams have written to Ferrari President Luca di Montezemolo seeking a compromise, however there has been no response from the Italian, as yet.
"We sent the letter to Mr Montezemolo in Malaysia, we've not had a response, there's been no dialogue and Ferrari continue to test," said Stoddart. "I don't think there's any sign that they are prepared to compromise.
"The nine teams are completely resolute," he added. "Ferrari can do what they like and we are going to stick together. If they do test more, they've got a bigger advantage and if they do end up winning it will be a slightly hollow victory."
Currently, Ferrari is currently sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
The Italian team has tested for 13 days since the season began - up to and including Tuesday April 5 - while only Renault comes close, having completed 6 days of testing.
McLaren boss, Ron Dennis, was keen to point out that should the teams agree to miss the meeting this should not be seen as a snub to the FIA President: "If the decision was not to attend, that's not out of disrespect for the FIA or a lack of desire to find a way forward," he said.
"It's more likely to be linked to the fact that we'd like to have a clear understanding of what we want and we're not there yet. People should remember that what we're talking about is the post-2007 position. There's a bit of time yet. We don't want to be stampeded."