FIA President Jean Todt believes a decision to leave Formula 1 would be "painful" for Ferrari, after his counterpart at the Italian company, Sergio Marchionne threatened to pull out at the end of 2020.

The Ferrari President issued the warning after the revealing of proposals for changes to the engines in 2021 several weeks ago, but it was also clear his message was aimed at owners Liberty Media after claiming they would pull their F1 team if the future vision of the two parties was too different.

Some saw his claim as merely bluster aimed at trying to bolster Ferrari's position in talks which will take place over a range of issues in the coming months, but Todt, who knows more than anyone about how the Maranello operation works, admits the loss of manufacturers from F1 is a fear he has.

"I'm afraid to see Ferrari or Mercedes leaving," he said. "That is their choice.

"What is sure, is that we don't want anybody to leave, but of course, Ferrari is an iconic brand, it is a team which has been part of every single Formula 1 championship since its creation so I do not want to see Ferrari leaving."

Though Marchionne insists leaving the sport would actually be beneficial for Ferrari, Todt disagrees suggesting the company needs F1 to maintain the identity it has built over seven decades.

"I am not sure it will be a good thing for Ferrari to leave F1 because Ferrari is a unique brand – combined between racing and road car - so I think it will be painful for Ferrari not to be in F1 but that is not my responsibility," the Frenchman commented.