Hamburg - Former world champion Niki Lauda has backed motorsport federation FIA president Max Mosley in a row over proposed cost-cutting measures for Formula One.

In an interview published Tuesday, Lauda criticized Ferrari and the Formula One Teams' Association (FOTA) in the dispute in which FIA wants the teams to operate within a budget cap.

"The budget cap of 45 million euros is the most reasonable thing I have heard of in my life," the Austrian told Germany's Sport Bild online.

"All the teams have asked for this. And now Ferrari is suddenly against it. It's completely stupid."

Ferrari was meeting on Tuesday to discuss its future involvement in Formula One racing over the budget cap measures.

Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo, who is also chairman of FOTA, wrote to Mosley last week to express his concerns that the cap could lead to a two-tier F1.

Responding to criticism from the Italian team, Mosley earlier this month had said Formula One "could survive without Ferrari."

FIA wants Formula One teams to operate within a budget cap of 40 million pounds (59.3 million dollars) from 2010.

Teams who work within the budget will be given greater technical freedoms and out-of-season testing. The voluntary cap would not include marketing and promotion, driver and young driver programmes and engine costs for 2010.

At the weekend, both Red Bull and Toyota said they would consider pulling out of Formula One over the plans, while BMW Sauber has also warned that big car manufacturers might consider their positions in the sport if the budget caps are introduced.

Lauda said the budget cap was reasonable because the sum applied solely to the car, while spending on such matters as driver salaries and marketing was not affected.

"The teams in the end have a budget of 80 to 100 million (euros)," he said.