The FIA has announced that it will take legal action against the FOTA teams following their decision to launch a rival championship in 2010.
The eight FOTA squads declared last night that they could not reach a deal to end the row with the FIA over next year's regulations and the governance of the sport, so would go it alone next year.
All the FOTA teams submitted conditional entries for next season and subsequently withdrew them, but the governing body said last week that it intended to hold Red Bull, Toro Rosso and Ferrari to previous agreements that it insisted committed the trio to Formula 1.
The FIA made Ferrari the focal point of its anger when announcing its plan for legal action this afternoon (Friday).
"The FIA’s lawyers have now examined the FOTA threat to begin a breakaway series," it said in a statement.
"The actions of FOTA as a whole, and Ferrari in particular, amount to serious violations of law including wilful interference with contractual relations, direct breaches of Ferrari's legal obligations and a grave violation of competition law.
"The FIA will be issuing legal proceedings without delay."
The statement added that the scheduled announcement of the 2010 entry list tomorrow will be delayed due to the legal proceedings.
"Preparations for the 2010 FIA Formula 1 World Championship continue but publication of the final 2010 entry list will be put on hold while the FIA asserts its legal rights," it said.