Luca di Montezemolo sees no reason why Ferrari can’t continue to work constructively with their rival teams in 2012 despite now being outside the Formula One Teams’ Association (FOTA).

Formula 1’s most iconic outfit, along with world champions Red Bull, plunged the future of FOTA into doubt at the start of this month when they resigned from the teams’ umbrella organisation in the wake of increasingly tense disagreements over the way forward for the sport’s Resource Restriction Agreement.

Ferrari, one of the main instigators behind the body’s formation in 2008, claimed FOTA’s “drive has run its course”, while adding that they had become tired of the recent “stalemate” surrounding some of the key issues up for discussion.

Speaking at his traditional Christmas dinner with the Italian media this week, Montezemolo, Ferrari’s long-time president, said while the team had grown weary of FOTA’s quarrels in recent times, he remains confident they can continue to work alongside their key rivals for the good of the sport.  

“We have left FOTA of our own accord and without consulting anyone else, because we were tired of the compromises dragging it down,” Montezemolo said.

“And let’s be clear, if one is part of a club then everyone has to respect its rules, otherwise what’s the point?

“However, I still believe that we can have a common vision between the biggest teams when it comes to the future and I will push to the maximum to seek out common objectives.

“All we want are clear rules and interpretations.”

Montezemolo pointed to the controversy at July’s British Grand Prix when team’s argued over how a planned FIA clampdown on the off-throttle blown diffuser regulations should be implemented, when the Renault-engined teams sought certain concessions and Mercedes others.

The Italian claimed that while Ferrari strived to come to an agreement that didn’t materially damage the sport's image as a whole, some rival squads were only interested in ensuring the regulation changes didn’t overly hamper their respective performance.

“Situations like the one in Silverstone must not happen again, when the rules changed three times over the course of a Grand Prix weekend: on that occasion, Ferrari decided to sacrifice its own interests to avoid a fall out that would have damaged Formula 1, with all the accompanying comments that we did not want the agreement because we were not competitive…," he said.

“However, there were some who preferred to only think of their own interests.”