Ross Brawn plea to Ferrari in bid to save Formula One

Ross Brawn hopes that last-ditch talks aimed at solving Formula One's budget cap crisis can persuade his former team Ferrari to stay in the sport.

Sunday could be the last time Ferrari appear in the Monaco Grand Prix after they failed to gain an injunction on FIA president Max Mosley's controversial plan to impose a £40million limit on teams next season.

Ferrari, the most iconic name in motor racing, will appeal but it is thought that such action is unlikely to succeed.

Brawn, the technical genius who masterminded the winning of six constructors' and five drivers titles with the Scuderia, fears for the sport.

Now head of his own team, which leads both the drivers' and constructors' championships, Brawn said: "We have always supported the idea of the budget cap, but what we don't want is a cap that forces other teams to leave Formula One. Is there another solution to the budget cap that can achieve the same objectives and be acceptable to teams like Ferrari, Toyota and so on?

"If we can find such a solution then we get the best of both, so we are not fixed on the budget cap being the only solution. Having a budget cap that forces other teams to rethink their commitment to Formula One would be a great shame. I hope we can avoid that."