Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo has criticised the Japanese Grand Prix stewards over the misunderstanding that led to the Italian squad not knowing they had to start the race with extreme weather tyres.
Ferrari's drivers Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa were forced to pit while the safety car was on track after having started the race with intermediate tyres when the FIA had instructed all teams they had to start with extremes.
The Maranello-based squad blamed a late e-mail for the confusion, saying they hadn't received the notification from the stewards until after the race had started.
Di Montezemolo criticised the stewards' behaviour as unprofessional and said he was expecting an apology from them.
"It was unprofessional behaviour for which I expect them to apologize," di Montezemolo was quoted as saying by Gazzetta dello Sport.
"Our drivers, in difficult conditions, did a really fine race. Let's see how it goes. Logically I'm not happy about yesterday's result, but I spoke at length with (Jean) Todt: the choice of tyres was a gamble, but it was taken with the premise that Ferrari weren't aware of FIA's decision.
"This is a negative aspect and I expect an apology from the stewards, who acted very badly. Without this order from the FIA, other teams would have started on intermediate tyres.
"I would have preferred a different solution, I'm not happy about this result, but I have the greatest faith in the (Ferrari) men that took those decisions at that point."
Lewis Hamilton will have to thank Ferrari if he wins the Formula One title in China this weekend, according to the Italian team's president Luca di Montezemolo.
"I still think that in the spying affair it was a big mistake not to disqualify the McLaren drivers as well," the Gazzetta dello Sport web site quoted him as saying after Sunday's Japanese Grand Prix.
"It means that if Hamilton wins the championship, he will also win it thanks to Ferrari because there is a lot of Ferrari in his car."
McLaren were fined $100 million and stripped of all their constructors' points by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) last month for having Ferrari technical information in their possession.
However, the drivers escaped sanctions because the FIA said they had been granted an amnesty in exchange for providing evidence.
Hamilton, 22, can become the first rookie to win the championship as well as the youngest world champion if he wins this Sunday's penultimate race of the season in Shanghai.
The Briton leads teammate and double world champion Fernando Alonso by 12 points after the Spaniard crashed in Fuji.
Ferrari have won the constructors' championship.
Source - http://www.autosport.com
