As predicted, FIA to sue FOTA, Ferrari

(GMM) The FIA on Friday vowed to launch "legal proceedings without delay" after eight rebel teams threatened to set up a rival world championship.

A statement issued shortly after afternoon practice at Silverstone revealed that the governing body's lawyers believe "the actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law".

The laws allegedly broken include "willful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law", the FIA, led by its controversial president Max Mosley, said.

The statement said the final 2010 entry list will no longer be published as scheduled on Friday "while the FIA asserts its legal rights".