"Stop whinging"

[|Nuno|]

Mosley - Stop whinging and challenge Ferrari

Max Mosley has called on Formula One teams to stop "whinging" and up their game if they are to topple Ferrari.

The Italian team have won the drivers' and constructors' championship double for the last five years thanks to Michael Schumacher's dominance, prompting some to call for new rules to slow them down.

But Mosley, president of world governing body the FIA, insists it is down to the rival teams to stop the Ferrari steamroller.

He said: "I wouldn't say Ferrari are killing the sport. What I would say is that Williams, McLaren, Renault and BAR are killing the sport because they are doing a rubbish job. It's not down to Ferrari to lose.

"What's worse is that they say we are helping Ferrari - if I could slow down Ferrari, and in particular Michael, I would.

"It's up to the engineers in the other teams to catch Ferrari.

"Instead of whinging about Ferrari's success, all they have to do is design a quick car and put a fast driver in it and all this nonsense will stop."

Mosley believes rival teams are hiding behind excuses after seasons of under-achievement.

Ferrari are widely believed to have the biggest budget in Formula One, but Mosley claims that is not actually the case.

He believes the budgets of McLaren or Williams added to the cash spent by respective engine suppliers Mercedes and BMW, easily outweigh the resources at Ferrari's disposal.

"One of the great fallacies in Formula One is that Ferrari have more money," he said.

"They have more sponsors but they have to pay for their own engines. Mercedes and BMW offer these for nothing.

"You go to BMW and the facilities are just awesome - Ferrari is like a cottage industry.

"I am sure the total budget, certainly of McLaren and Williams and I suspect BAR and Renault, is greater than Ferrari's to get two cars on the grid.

"You could put [Ferrari sporting director] Jean Todt in any of the top five teams the last few years and he would have done the same job."

Mosley concedes even with a raft of new rules for 2005, Formula One fans can still expect to see Schumacher and Ferrari among the winners.

However, he does not expect a repeat of Schumacher's runaway success last year and tipped two of the sport's young guns to spring a surprise.

"A bookmaker would say Schumacher [for the title] on past form," he said.

"I think Jenson Button is a very strong possibility and I think Fernando Alonso is also a very strong possibility.

"I would be very surprised if Michael won the first six races because the other teams know what they have to do."