Ferrari will face grilling

Ferrari have been summoned to a meeting of the FIA world council on June 26 after the outcry over the Austrian grand prix when Rubens Barrichello was forced to hand victory to Michael Schumacher.

There would appear to be little the governing body can do because such team tactics, though tarnishing the sport's image, are not against the rules. But Ferrari may be in for a rough ride for breaching the unwritten protocol that podium celebrations must be conducted in a formal manner.

Schumacher's antics in pushing Barrichello to the top position on the rostrum and the disapproving whistles from the crowd were an embarrassment to the Austrian chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, who was there to present the trophies.

Ferrari could be fined or docked championship points for this breach of etiquette and the racing community will be waiting to see if the FIA takes an uncharacteristically robust attitude towards the sport's most famous team.

Last night Ferrari went on the defensive; their sporting director Jean Todt, who claimed responsibility for the decision to let Schumacher pass, said the team had at least been transparent in their intentions. "It would have been unfair to ask Rubens to simulate being overtaken, which we could easily have organised," he said on Ferrari's website. "It would have been enough to put 10 more kilos of fuel in Rubens' car and Michael could have passed him on the pit stop, but we didn't do that."

The Ferrari chairman Luca di Montezemolo said: "The team interests prevailed over the reasons of the heart and of the drivers. I can understand Barrichello's regret and the disappointment of some fans but I must say Jean Todt and other team officials made the right choice. Loyal and clean teamwork is allowed."

The incident could not have come at a worse time for formula one, amid worries that sponsors are disenchanted by the predictability of a season in which Schumacher is the runaway leader. Jim Rosenthal, the anchorman of ITV which in 1997 paid £65m to televise the sport for five years, said he was fearful about the effect on viewers.

"The television figures for formula one are holding up really well and this episode probably won't do any harm. I certainly hope it doesn't. But at a time when formula one is looking to reshape itself, I think what Ferrari did rather set its cause back."

He added: " There were people with tears in their eyes in Austria after Sunday's race, a mixture of disbelief and sadness. I suppose the instant reaction of the crowd was probably the reaction of the 4.1m people viewing it."

The last time Schumacher was seriously penalised was after ramming Jacques Villeneuve's Williams in the 1997 European grand prix at Jerez, an incident which ultimately resolved the championship in the Canadian driver's favour. The sanction imposed was the loss of Schumacher's second place in the title rankings.

·Jordan's Japanese driver Takuma Sato was released from hospital yesterday after tests showed he had suffered no injuries in a major crash in the Austrian grand prix.

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