MOTOR SPORT: The Formula One champions Ferrari have suggested they could lodge protests over several of this season's races after accusing rivals of using illegal tyres.
Such action could mean the championship, on a knife-edge with Michael Schumacher one point clear of Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya with three races to go, is decided in the appeal courts rather than on the track.
"Measurements were taken after the Hungarian race that clearly showed there were tyres above the legal limit and we've got to see what develops because we're not happy with that situation," said Ferrari technical director Ross Brawn yesterday.
"There is a facility within the FIA regulations to investigate any matter if previously unknown information becomes available".
Article 179b of the International Sporting Code allows a review of events if "a new element" is discovered.
Ferrari say that some tyres pass pre-race scrutineering but then change under race conditions to allow more tread to have contact with the road.
The design in question had been used since the San Marino Grand Prix in April, the fourth round of the championship.
The governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) has said there will be post-race checks, starting with Ferrari's home Italian Grand Prix at Monza next week.
The top three drivers are split by two points, with McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen two behind Schumacher, while Williams are eight points clear in the constructors' championship.
The last Hungarian Grand Prix was won by Renault's Michelin-shod Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who lapped Schumacher.
Meanwhile, Ulsterman Jeremy McWilliams hopes a three-week rest will help his Proton KR team put a troubled season out of their minds. McWilliams has endured a difficult season so far as Proton struggled to get their new four-stroke machine up and running.
After a brief return to the out-dated two-stroke, McWilliams is back on the new bike and returns to MotoGP action in a much more positive mood.
The four-stroke bike's reliability problems had left McWilliams cutting a forlorn figure in the paddock at times, but he goes into this weekend's Portuguese Grand Prix at Estoril back in good spirits.
He said: "I've been chilling at home with the family ready for the most hectic part of the season. After the race at Brno we stayed on to test and then tested at Mondello in Ireland for one day."
"We chose Mondello because it has plenty of slow technical corners like Estoril and we were very pleased with the results. It was the ideal place to test the new system that stops the rear wheel locking up under braking and it worked really well.
"All we need now is that extra horsepower and the guys are working very hard to find just that. We had one new engine at Brno which was producing some extra power and we hope to take four of them to Estoril.
"It's been a good break but those familiar butterflies will return when we drive into the Estoril paddock."
