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Formula One teams told to turn down the throttle
Formula One's governing body has told teams that they have two months to find a way to reduce speeds or changes will be imposed for safety's sake. International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Max Mosley said after a meeting at London's Heathrow airport on Monday he would start procedures this week to force teams' hands. "I've told them that I'm going to ask the (FIA's) world (motorsport) council (on Wednesday) to give formal notice to the technical working group to come up with changes to slow the cars," he said after meeting team bosses. "That's the immediate priority and maybe out of that will come some ideas to make (further) changes. They've then got two months to come up with something sensible." Mosley has called for urgent action to curtail rising speeds, linking that with his plans to cut costs and bring new blood into the sport with a raft of changes from 2008 and possibly earlier. Monday's meeting of the FIA's Formula One commission grouped all the team bosses as well as the governing body, promoters and sponsor representatives. Mosley said last week that recent accidents involving Brazilian Felipe Massa and Germany's Ralf Schumacher showed engine power needed to be reduced with cars now becoming dangerously fast. Ralf Schumacher remains doubtful for Sunday's French Grand Prix as a result of his heavy smash into a concrete wall at Indianapolis on June 20. Mosley's plans Mosley announced sweeping changes in April that the FIA can impose from 2008 once an agreement between teams, commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA expires. However, the governing body wants the 10 teams to accelerate the changes, which include reducing engine capacity from V10 three litre units to 2.4 V8s, so that some key ones can be introduced for 2006. The FIA can push through measures before 2008 only if they are for reasons of safety. The engine manufacturers were given an end of June deadline to come up with proposals. The talks have stalled, however, with Williams' partner BMW determined to retain the V10s but willing to make them last longer. "I think probably it will come down to V8s," said Mosley, who also fired a warning shot at the German carmaker. "In the end it's a question of whether they (BMW) want to be in Formula One or not," he said. "I think if the majority go one way, it may be like that." Mosley said he most wanted to move to V8 engines but the main question was whether there should be complete freedom or restricted technology. "If we have complete freedom, then because it is expensive they have got to be prepared to supply the little teams," he said of the engine makers. Monday's meeting also abandoned plans for a new qualifying format after Sunday's French Grand Prix but agreed a revised start procedure to deal with cars that stall on the grid. "If somebody stalls, everybody can zoom off again for another parade lap. The stalled car is cleared off the grid and then they take the grid formation again, which is pretty sensible," said Jaguar boss Tony Purnell. |
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