Massa and Räikkönen behind Ferrari

Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Kimi Räikkönen have backed their team's motives as the reigning World Champions threaten to leave Formula One as a result of the FIA's proposed budget cap for 2010. In doing so, however, the pairing admit that the possibility of the sport continuing without the team is more of a difficulty to invisage.

Massa joined the Scuderia as team-mate to Michael Schumacher in 2006, before going on to challenge Lewis Hamilton for the title last year, missing out by a single point at the final race in Brazil. "I understand the motivation, why the company got to this point," the Brazilian stated. "The idea of having a championship with two classes - with cars which, for example, are allowed to have flexible wings or an engine without a rev limiter - is absurd. We've already seen this year that the rules' uncertainty not only lead to a lot of confusion for us involved, but mainly for the fans. Imagine what might happen with what has been set up for 2010..."

Finn Räikkönen became part of the team as a replacement for Schumacher in 2007, seeing off a mighty McLaren charge to steal the World Championship title at Interlagos to complete a glorious first season in a red car. "It's difficult to think of a Formula 1 without Ferrari," he continued. "When I drove for McLaren, Ferrari was the benchmark, the competitor you had to be compared with. Since I've arrived here, I've understood that it is much more than just a team; it's a legend, for its road and racing cars."

Company president Luca di Montezemolo, also head of the Formula One Teams' Association, is set to meet with the FIA this Friday in order to discuss the issue, for which four other teams' futures also appear to hang in the balance.

"For a driver, racing a Ferrari in Formula 1 is a dream and I made mine come true," Massa added, who first entered the F1 paddock delivering pizzas for the Benetton team in São Paulo at eight years old. "I always had the passion for racing with everything with an engine and I always thought of Formula 1 as the pinnacle of motor sports, in terms of competition and technology," Räikkönen continued. "I can't imagine drivers racing each other on the track with cars built according to different rules; that wouldn't be good for the sport itself or for the fans. If that should happen, it would be too bad and I understand that a company like Ferrari is thinking about racing somewhere else."

Source: GP Update