> Todt steps down as Ferrari boss

Ferrari have named Amedeo Felisa as the Formula One team's chief executive after the resignation of Jean Todt.

Todt, 62, who was a key figure in turning the Italian team into one of F1's most successful teams, will stay on in a senior executive role.

Felisa, also aged 62, joined Ferrari in 1990 and has been the team's general manager since 2006.

Todt joined Ferrari in 1993 and guided the team to six straight constructors' titles between 1999 and 2004.

With chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo back at Ferrari after a stint as chairman of Italy's employers body, Todt said he could "dedicate more time to myself and the things I'm interested in".

Montezemolo is known to be an admirer of Renault driver Fernando Alonso.

The switch marks the culmination of a generational shift within Ferrari, with the replacement of the previous foreign leaders with a new set, chiefly Italian.

The team's success in the late 1990s and first half of this decade was based on Michael Schumacher's arrival at the team in 1996, by which time Frenchman Todt had already been in charge for three years.

Schumacher retired at the end of 2006 to be replaced by Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who won the world title last season.

Todt will remain a board member as well as chairman of Ferrari Asia Pacific and Ferrari West Europe.

He will also be charged by Montezemolo to carry out special assignments for Ferrari's racing operations.