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To: who cares? who wrote (415)	4/25/2004 12:28:48 AM
From: X Y Zebra	Respond to of 764

Yes indeed, the FIA 'proposed' it... here is an extended version of the same release... Analysis: FIA Proposes F1 Revolution Friday April 23rd, 2004 By Alan Baldwin Formula One's governing body has proposed the biggest shake-up in the sport's history to slash the cost of competing and put drivers back in the limelight. The raft of ideas put forward by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) on Friday will, if approved, come into effect in 2008. Engine capacity would be reduced to 2.4 litre V8s from three litre V10s, with each unit having to last two races, and teams would be allowed to buy, loan or sell their chassis and components between each other. Fully manual gearboxes and clutches would return with power steering banned along with the use of spare cars, a move that should let driver talent shine above the technology and allow more overtaking. Teams will not be allowed to do any substantial mechanical work on cars for the duration of an event while also included is the highly contentious proposal to end the sport's 'tyre war' by forcing out one of the two current suppliers. "I think it is probably the biggest package of changes (Formula One has ever seen)," FIA president Max Mosley told Reuters. "And the reason for doing it now is that I think there is a really serious problem in Formula One with the amount of money that is being spent. "Several of the major manufacturers are starting to look at what they are spending on engines and wondering whether they are getting value for money. Teams are finding it difficult to get enough sponsorship to meet their costs. "There is a risk that we will start to see big problems if we don't do something." Monaco Meeting The FIA will meet the six team bosses who replied to an invitation to discuss the proposals in Monaco on May 4. McLaren's Ron Dennis and the bosses of Jaguar, Toyota and Minardi failed to reply to the invitation. Mosley said the first objective was "to improve the racing spectacle without introducing artificial rules". The others were the elimination of so-called electronic 'driver aids' such as traction control, and measures to reduce the costs of competing and bring in new teams to encourage a full grid of 24 cars. "If people don't go and watch it (Formula One), it doesn't matter how cutting-edge it is. It will fail," Mosley said. "People are really interested in the human contest but obviously in very high performance machines. "If you have too much technology and not enough driver, the public will start to lose interest." The last new team to enter the sport was Japanese car giant Toyota in 2002, paying $50 million to secure their slot, but the smaller Prost and Arrows teams have folded in recent seasons. Some of the teams, such as Ferrari and Toyota, have estimated annual budgets in excess of $300 million while the likes of Minardi are struggling to pay around $1 million a race for their engines. "You would be looking at budgets more in the order of, and this is guesswork, $15 to 20 million, or perhaps even less," said Mosley. "Whereas the Minardi type operation is significantly more than double that." The proposals also called for private testing to be slashed back, limited by mileage rather than the number of days and enforced by the use of an FIA control unit in cars. Teams currently spend more time and money testing than racing, with most of that time devoted to tyre development. The FIA said final proposals would be submitted to its world motor sport council on June 30, 2004. Under the confidential Concorde Agreement governing the sport, the FIA must announce the technical regulations for the 2008 season by December 31, 2005.

To: who cares? who wrote (415)	4/25/2004 12:29:36 AM
From: X Y Zebra	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 764

and there is more.... Analysis: Changes Could Take F1 Back to the Future Friday April 23rd, 2004 By Alan Baldwin More overtaking, more teams, lower costs and, crucially, more excitement. Formula One was offered all of this by the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA) on Friday with the most far-reaching proposals for change in the sport's history. There is bound to be furious debate before 2008, the target date for the introduction of a new world where a driver's innate talent should matter more than the electronic gizmos in his car. Some FIA proposals, including one limiting Formula One to a sole tyre supplier, will face fierce opposition. Turning the clock back to the days of manual gearshifts and minimal tweaking of cars is also controversial to say the least. Some might see a hint of desperation in the timing of the announcement. Ferrari's Michael Schumacher is more dominant than ever, chasing his fourth victory in four races in his quest for an unprecedented seventh title. Ferrari processions and Schumacher victories delight many fans, particularly in Germany and Italy, but there is a real fear that television viewers will switch off in their millions. However, for once, Schumacher does not come into the equation. The German will be 39 and likely to be enjoying his retirement by the time change affects the grid. "I think with the best will in the world we wouldn't see any of these things in before 2006, by which time Schumacher and Ferrari domination this year or next year start to be a bit academic," said FIA president Max Mosley. Blank Sheet Mosley pushed through a raft of changes at the start of 2003 following a season in which Ferrari won all but two of the races. He said the new proposals were more significant. This time the FIA had a blank sheet of paper because the existing Concorde Agreement between teams, the FIA and Formula One's commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone runs out at the end of 2007. "What I'm hoping is that some of the teams will come with further radical ideas, particularly in trying to think of ways to eliminate this enormous expenditure on wind tunnels and endless aerodynamic research for very small gains," said Mosley. "In 2008 we can do whatever we want, provided the world council vote in favour. We can bring that in on January 1, 2008, without asking anybody. It's possible that some or all of the ideas could come in sooner but that would depend on the agreement of the existing teams." Some, such as Ferrari and Toyota, have estimated budgets in excess of $300 million and even the biggest car firms are starting to have cold feet about the costs. "Several of the major manufacturers are starting to look at what they are spending on engines and wondering whether they are getting value for money. Teams are finding it difficult to get enough sponsorship to meet their costs," said Mosley. "There is a risk that we will start to see big problems if we don't do something." Major Savings Mosley said the major costs savings would come from getting rid of most of the testing, no longer as necessary if all teams are on similar tyres, and from allowing teams to share components and chassis. The chief benefit for fans would be closer racing, with the reduction in engine capacity undetectable. "Cars would be inherently more capable of overtaking and secondly the use of manual gearboxes and elimination of electronic aids would make a driver error more probable," he said. "And of course a driver error is one of the key elements in overtaking."