Ecclestone urges teams to sue FIA over handling of Ferrari case

Former Formula One chief Bernie Ecclestone has said that the FIA's handling of the Ferrari engine saga has left them prone to potential lawsuits from the seven non-Ferrari engined teams.

The FIA monitored the situation of Ferrari's engine during the course of last season after complaints from rival teams over its legality. 

Rival teams believed that the Prancing horse's car was dodging restrictions on the rate of fuel that a car could use during a race, which potentially explained the sudden jump in the performance of their power unit mid-season.

The allegations were denied by Ferrari and the FIA released a statement saying it had reached a "confidential settlement" with the Italian team, sparking further controversy within the paddock.

Red Bull's motor consultant Dr Helmut Marko believes that his team lost out on around $24 million in potential lost prize money for not finishing second in the constructors championship and now Ecclestone has said that the way the FIA have handled the situation, that all seven non-ferrari affiliated teams have the potential to sue.

“The teams have to sue the FIA," he insisted to F1i this week. "It’s about millions that I think they deserve back in money."

"If Ferrari were clean and innocent, why did they even agree to a deal with Jean Todt? That alone seems like a confession to me. There were often fires that I, as a kind of top firefighter, had to put out," Ecclestone said while reminiscing on his tenure as F1 boss.

Time will tell whether further action will be taken on the Italian team, as the gossip builds up ahead of the new Formula One season.