10/09/2009
NEWS STORY
In addition to voting to allow Williams and Force India to re-join FOTA after the two teams broke ranks in order to submit their (early) entries for 2010, the teams' alliance yesterday discussed the proposal for three-car teams.
While the idea of teams entering three cars has been mooted before, mainly as a safety net should teams withdraw from the sport, Ferrari and McLaren have both recently admitted that they are in favour of the idea being introduced in 2010, even with a potential grid of 13 teams, with Luca di Montezemolo and Stefano Domenicali both promoting the idea.
Speaking in the wake of yesterday's FOTA meeting, di Montezemolo revealed that the proposal was discussed.
"We spoke of the possibility of a third car on the track and the possibility to give young drivers the chance to test," he admitted. "This has become the only sport where you can't train and maybe we've exaggerated a bit," he added, referring to FOTA's own proposal of an all-out in-season test ban.
"As far as Ferrari is concerned, this will be a Grand Prix, which is traditionally not very good to us," he continued, looking ahead to this weekend's 'home race' at Monza, "but we will give it everything for a good result. I am happy that I've chosen an Italian driver, Fisichella, to race here and also Raikkonen is in great form.
"I'll be back here tomorrow to talk about a new partnership," he added, referring to the joint press conference with Spanish bank Santander, before curiously adding: "But that doesn't mean anything in terms of choices for the near future: I want to say it again, the drivers are chosen by Ferrari and not by the sponsors."