Le Mans invites F1 teams to switch

An official of the famous sports car endurance race has invited Formula One teams to next year's Le Mans.

Ferrari president and FOTA chairman Luca di Montezemolo was the official starter at the Circuit de la Sarthe last weekend, where he insisted that Le Mans was a serious alternative for the Italian marque.

Ferrari and seven other current F1 teams are threatening to abandon Formula One over its rules and governance dispute with FIA president Max Mosley.

"The more the better. They are welcome here," said Remy Brouard, general manager of the organising body Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO), which also runs the European Le Mans series.

Identifying with the F1 teams' rules dispute, Brouard said the major teams including Ferrari, McLaren, BMW, Renault and Toyota would be welcome to suggest new technical regulations for Le Mans.

"If they want to make proposals, we will listen," he said.

All of the aforementioned F1 manufacturers have contested Le Mans in the past.