Ferrari said on Friday that a decision by Formula 1 authorities to let McLaren off on spying charges was far from being the end of the matter.
Chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo appeared to hint that the Italian team could appeal against the ruling, which admitted McLaren had been in possession of secret Ferrari information but imposed no penalty.
"I want to say to the fans that are contacting Ferrari from all over the world that they can relax because this business isn't going to finish here," Montezemolo said.
The Ferrari chief said fans had been "offended" by Thursday's ruling.
Meanwhile, Ferrari Managing Director Jean Todt said legal action against the Ferrari informer and against the suspended McLaren staffer who received the information would move ahead.
"We do not rule out taking further action," he added in comments published on the Ferrari website, without giving any details.
The FIA council said it could not punish McLaren because there was no evidence that the information leaked to the British team had been exploited.
But Todt said this was irrelevant because in Formula 1 having information about a rival's car can provide a team with an important advantage
"It's like playing a hand of poker with a rival who already knows what cards you are holding," he said.
Todt repeated Ferrari's view that the ruling as "incomprehensible" and damaging to the credibility of Formula 1 because it effectively gave a green light to spying.
Officials at the Italian team's headquarters in Maranello on Friday avoided commenting on what Ferrari's next moves might be. "We're thinking about what to do," one of them said.
No meetings have reportedly been scheduled yet to discuss a possible appeal.
NATION INDIGNANT.
Meanwhile, the mood in Italy was one of indignation and there were suggestions that Formula 1 bosses had decided against punishing McLaren so as not to disrupt the championship.
With the current standings tight, even a modest points deduction could have cost McLaren the championship.
McLaren rookie Lewis Hamilton leads with seven races to go, two points ahead of team-mate Fernando Alonso and 11 points clear of Ferrari's Felipe Massa. In the constructor's contest, McLaren lead with 138 points to Ferrari's 111.
The Italian sports press came down firmly on Ferrari's side on Friday, splashing the news of the FIA ruling on front pages.
Ferrari Taken For a Ride, headlined Gazzetta dello Sport, which described the ruling as "incredible" and ran an editorial talking about an "ethical crisis" on the world of sport.
The two men at the centre of the spying scandal are Nigel Stepney, Ferrari's former head of performance development, and McLaren's suspended chief designer Mike Coughlan.
Apart from several emails from Stepney, Coughlan is said to have received a 780-page dossier of Ferrari secrets from the fellow Englishman in April this year, soon after the start of the 2007 grand prix season.
Stepney's lawyers said on Friday that the sacked Ferrari technician, who is being probed by Modena prosecutors, was ready to talk to Formula 1 authorities at any time to clarify his position.
As well as leaking secrets to Coughlan, he is also accused of trying to sabotage a Ferrari car before the Monaco Grand Prix by putting a powder in the fuel tank.
