Mosley defends Ferrari and attacks others - 10th February 19:39pm GMT

World motorsport head Max Mosley defended Formula One champions Ferrari and Michael Schumacher on Thursday against accusations that their dominance was suffocating the sport.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) president suggested instead that rival teams posed more of a threat through their failure to beat the winners of the last six constructors' championships.

"I would not say that they (Ferrari) are killing the sport," he said at a lunch with reporters in London before the season starts in Australia on March 6.

"What I would say is that Williams and McLaren, and to a lesser extent Renault and BAR, are killing the sport because they are doing a rubbish job.

"That's the truth of it. It's not up to Ferrari to lose, it's up to the others to win and all they've got to do is catch up," he added.

"The worst thing now is they go around suggesting that we in some way help Ferrari. Well, we'd have to be mad to help Ferrari.

"If I could slow Schumacher down legitimately, I would. But you can't...it's up to engineers in the other four teams, and the team principals, to get the job done."

Schumacher has won the last five drivers' titles and the German is chasing an unprecedented eighth crown this year at the age of 36.

But Ferrari have been strongly criticised over the years for failing to let their two drivers race each other freely, with Schumacher clearly enjoying number one status.

Ferrari are at odds with the other nine teams over cost-cutting proposals and the sport's commercial future at a time of open power struggle between Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone and carmakers.

The Italian team broke with the other carmakers last month in abandoning plans for a rival series and agreeing to extend an existing commercial agreement with the FIA and Ecclestone.

"There is no doubt that Ferrari, at least in the last 10 years, have been worth more than the proportion they get of the money that's been distributed among the teams," said Mosley.

"I honestly believe that one of the great fallacies of Formula One is that Ferrari has got the biggest budget," he added. "You must compare like with like.

"I'm certain that Ferrari have got more sponsorship coming in than say McLaren, Williams or BAR. Quite a lot more. But they have to pay for their own engine and all the research and development."

Mosley suggested that Williams, McLaren and BAR spent more on putting two cars on the starting grid than Ferrari.

He also attributed much of the champions' success to team boss Jean Todt, who had eradicated the internal feuding that slowed the team in the 1980s.

"Todt's got them all working together. It is a completely cohesive unit," he said. "Everybody is on the same side...what he has succeeded in doing there is quite extraordinary.

"Everywhere he's been he's won and that's because he is an absolutely outstanding manager. I reckon you could have put Todt in the last five years in any of the top five teams and you'd have had the same result."